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With his team riding
a season-high five-game winning streak and intrastate rival Kentucky looming
on the schedule, Louisville coach Rick Pitino may find it difficult to keep
his 20th-ranked Cardinals focused on the task at hand.
Just four days before what is shaping up as an epic showdown with the unbeaten
Wildcats, the Cardinals (5-1) will try to keep their momentum going as they
meet VMI (2-3) at Freedom Hall on Tuesday.
The Cardinals opened the season with a disappointing 70-69 loss to Iowa at the Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis. But Louisville has since responded with five straight wins, including a 73-65 upset of then-No. 1 Florida on Dec. 13.
After a week off, the Cardinals returned to action Saturday and showed little signs of rust in an 80-63 rout of Austin Peay. Francisco Garcia scored 21 points and Luke Whitehead added 17 and seven rebounds as Louisville converted 17 Austin Peay turnovers into 24 points.
More importantly,
the Cardinals said they are wary of a letdown before Saturday's visit to Lexington,
Ky.
``We'll get to Kentucky,'' Whitehead said. ``We can't look over anyone right
now.''
Garcia leads the Louisville attack with 19.7 points per game, while Whitehead is a steady contributor, averaging 14.8 points and a team-best 9.7 rebounds per contest.
Garcia, who has been playing with a heavy heart since the shooting death of his younger brother in New York earlier this month, had a career high-tying eight assists against Austin Peay. He also has scored at least 20 points in four straight games.
Louisville has won 20 straight at home against nonconference opponents -- a run VMI doesn't figure to seriously challenge.
VMI has dropped three of four since a season-opening win over Southern Virginia, including Sunday's 66-62 setback to St. Francis, Pa.
Senior point guard Richard Little scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half, helping the Keydets stay in contention up to the final minute. Little also handed out six assists, giving him a school-record 481 for his career.
``I'm proud of our players,'' VMI head coach Bart Bellairs said. ``We did some good things, but just couldn't get over the hump. When we ran our offense, we played very well. However, every once in a while we hit the panic button.''