Team Rebound

There was never really a question of whether Louisville would climb back into the elite world of college basketball. Too much tradition, too much talent, and with coach Rick Pitino running things from the bench, the only uncertainty was when it would happen.

Lots of people thought this would be the year. Pitino was in his fourth season, slowly but surely putting things back into place, just as Denny Crum did when the Cardinals were a national champion 19 years ago.

The talent was there, the excitement was there . . . and then it started. Two of Pitino's top recruits, Sebastian Telfair and Donta Smith, chose the NBA over Conference USA.

Then came the injuries. Forward Brian Johnson, a 6-foot-9-inch forward out of Oak Hill Academy, had knee surgery in May and again in November. He was gone for the season. And the guys who were healthy and being counted upon -- like forward Ellis Myles (knee) and guard Taquan Dean (hernia) -- were coming off injuries and had to slowly work their way back into shape.

Then came more injuries. Forward Otis George suffered a stress fracture in his foot, Dean had mononucleosis. Forward Juan Palacios suffered a scratched cornea.

"At times," said Pitino with a laugh, "we didn't have 10 guys who were healthy enough to hold a scrimmage."

But in the first week in January, following a 70-67 loss to Houston, it suddenly all started to work, including the chemistry. The Cardinals came into the NCAA Tournament winners of 18 of their last 19 games. And then they added four more wins, which means they are in St. Louis for a Final Four semifinal against Illinois this weekend.

"That's what makes this season so fulfilling," said Pitino, who is chasing Louisville's first national championship since 1986. "Everything you believe in as a coach, every principle, every dream has come true. You have to overcome injuries, and most of the time, you lose.

"This year, the guys wouldn't take any losses."

Certainly not last weekend, when the Cardinals came back from a 20-point first-half deficit and caught West Virginia in overtime to win the Albuquerque Regional.

When the Cardinals were cutting down the nets last weekend, they looked at each other with a sense of pride, of accomplishment, feeling as much satisfaction in how far they had come as in where they were going.

"It feels great, man, just being part of it with these guys," said forward Larry O'Bannon, who scored 24 points in the comeback against West Virginia and was named the regional's Most Outstanding Player. "Just being part of this with these guys. Just to come out and accomplish something like this, of this magnitude, just makes it even that much sweeter."

The West Virginia game was like many games the Cardinals won during the crunch part of their season. They beat Alabama-Birmingham by 4, Marquette by 3, Cincinnati by 3. Since February, there has been just one misstep, a 17-point loss to Memphis, and that was avenged in the Conference USA tournament final with a 1-point win.

Against West Virginia, the Cardinals overcame a huge deficit, were plagued by foul trouble (Francisco Garcia, arguably the Cardinals' best player, fouled out), and Dean was on the bench with a sore ankle and dehydration. Pitino isn't afraid to admit his team has overachieved this season.

"[For some] overachieving means you've got very little talent and you're just playing," said Pitino. "Overachieving has been part of this team every day, but they are a terrific basketball team. Was that an overachieving night against as well a coached team [West Virginia] as I have ever coached against? Without question. It is one of those nights that makes legends.

"You have to walk off the court and have a feeling that is indescribable. If you're in this game long enough, you will see the victorious side. It was overachieving. Sometimes I think overachieving means you go beyond your capacity to try and win. And I think these guys have done that all year. But I think they're a very talented team."

The next question you must ask if you are Pitino or a Louisville team is this: Are the Cardinals good enough to overcome the No. 1-ranked team in the country Saturday night and then beat either North Carolina or Michigan State two nights later?

Pitino offered his players some early advice about the days ahead.

"Have fun, enjoy it," he told them. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's like being a great pianist and going to Carnegie Hall. It's like a great act going to Broadway. It's what we all dream about."