They're No. 1. No question about it.

Louisville's got choking fullcourt pressure, an active matchup zone, lots of answers offensively, two great guards and a dominating big man. It all proved too much for UConn, particularly in the second half, Monday night in a 73-58 Cardinal win at a nearly sold-out (14,287) XL Center.

Most of the relevant quotes and stats are here in the Register's game story. Otherwise, we'll leave the stage to a bespectacled Rick Pitino, who had some nice things to say about UConn, along with this cryptic quote:

"I think they have one of the premier backcourts in the country. I've said this many times, I think Kevin Ollie -- I'll be long dead -- but he's going to be an unbelievable coach."