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Rick Pitino hopes
his second trip back to Rupp Arena is better than the first, as Louisville tries
to spoil Kentucky's perfect season on Saturday in one of college basketball's
best rivalries.
``You've got to get pumped up for the Louisville game. You have to,'' Kentucky
junior forward Chucky Hayes said.
Hayes' second-ranked Wildcats (7-0) are hoping to avenge last season's 81-63 upset loss at Freedom Hall. They have gone unbeaten in 27 regular-season games since that defeat.
One year earlier, Pitino made his first appearance at his former home arena when Louisville visited Rupp, and fans screamed insults at him from the start in Kentucky's 82-62 victory.
``I don't know
what to expect, but I know it will be crowded and there will be a lot of pressure
out there,'' Wildcats freshman center Lukasz Orbzut said.
This is the first meeting between these teams in which both have been ranked
since Dec. 31, 1996, when then-No. 3 Kentucky won 74-54 at then-No. 14 Louisville.
The Cardinals (6-1) again enter as the lower ranked team at No. 20, but they have rolled to six straight victories -- including one over former No. 1 Florida. Their latest win was their easiest of the season, 107-56 over VMI on Tuesday.
``We know we have a tough time ahead,'' Pitino said. ``So the timing was perfect for this game.''
The Wildcats also are coming off their most lopsided victory, beating Eastern Kentucky 101-72 on Tuesday. That home win came after Kentucky survived four tough road games in December, winning at Marshall, UCLA, Michigan State and Indiana.
``We have gotten off to some good starts this year,'' said coach Tubby Smith, Pitino's former assistant at Kentucky. ``That has been a big key to us being able to control the tempo and flow of the game.''
Controlling the game's pace has always been a big factor for Pitino, who is likely to consistently employ a pressure defense against Kentucky. Louisville is holding opponents to an average of 61.3 points and 35.2 percent shooting while forcing 17 turnovers per game.
It was on offense, however, where the Cardinals really shined on Tuesday as they scored the game's first 16 points and set a school record with 34 assists. Louisville hit 18 3-pointers, including a school-record nine by Taquan Dean on his way to a career-high 31 points.
``We passed the ball very good and I hope it carries on for us to the next game,'' sophomore Francisco Garcia said. ``As a matter of fact, we are shooting the ball very good, getting the ball to the open spots.''
Garcia had a team-high eight assists and 12 points -- well off his team-leading average of 18.6 per game. Garcia and senior Luke Whitehead, who had 15 points and 15 rebounds Tuesday, comprise a solid starting forward tandem.
They should present a good challenge for Hayes and Erik Daniels, who are combining to average 28.7 points and 16.2 rebounds.
Guard Gerald Fitch leads the Wildcats with 19.2 points per game and has hit 20-for-43 from 3-point range. His starting backcourt mate, Cliff Hawkins, leads the SEC with 6.7 assists and 2.9 steals per game.