LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

› Record: 22-5 (10-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) › AP ranking: No. 7 ›

NCAA RPI: 4 ›

Coach: Rick Pitino, 16th season at Lousville, 413137 (.754)

› Best win: 78-69 over visiting Duke

› Worst loss: 71-55 at Virginia

› Best stat: Heading into Wednesday night’s game at North Carolina, the Cardinals have shot the same number of free throws as their opponents — 582 — but have hit nine more (403 to 394).

› Best player: Sophomore guard Donovan Mitchell leads the Cards in scoring (15.6) while averaging 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 steals per contest. On an experienced team loaded with depth and talent, Mitchell stands above the rest.

› Can be dancin’ in the desert if: They can get offense and defense clicking at the same time. This team has depth, experience, size, talent and the only coach in the country, Rick Pitino, who’s won NCAA titles at two different schools (Louisville and Kentucky). But what was a great defensive team and challenged offensive team early in the season has almost reversed itself in recent games. If both are clicking at same time, the Cards could win it all. › Prediction: Final Four

› Coachspeak: “They just suffocate you with pressure, and then you start getting on your heels and you go from an eight-point game to a 20-point game very, very quickly, and you can only burn so many timeouts.” — Eastern Kentucky’s Dan McHale following a 87-56 loss at Louisville in December