Louisville Cardinals

1. Time to make the donuts. The Cardinals' late-season turnaround is due in large part to the emergence of Louisville's talented freshman class, including center Derrick Caracter. DC, who has footwork that Greg Oden would kill for, has gotten his act together after serving a pair of suspensions this season. Caracter's mother deserves part of the credit for keeping her son focused via the US Mail. Did she send him letters of encouragement? Well wishes from friends and family back home in Jersey? No, she sent him an application for employment at Dunkin' Donuts; a not-so-subtle reminder of what the big fella had to look forward to if this whole student-athlete thing doesn't work out.

2. Bigger boobs: Anna Nicole or Congress? Prominent Louisville alumni include senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Chris Dodd (D-CT). But before any Cardinal alumni get too smug, Anna Nicole Smith's putative babydaddy Larry Birkhead also graduated from the 'Ville.

3. Mark it eight, Dude. Rick Pitino is the only coach to take three different schools to the Final Four. But according to Card Chronicle, Pitino's winning ways on the hardwood extends beyond hoops to bowling. After Pitino posted high-game honors at the team's recent ten-pin throwdown, he triumphantly posted the scores on his personal website. Other Cardinals also maintain a presence on the internets. On his MySpace.com page, reserve Cardinal center Terrence Farley states that he is "just lookin to be easy and relax all the time," which belies his fervent game-day hustle. (Apparently Farley's laissez-faire off-court demeanor leads hottie coeds to be his internet friends.) — flubby