LEXINGTON, Ky. — The dateline really should be — LAUGHINGTON.
That's because here, in a city where college basketball is revered, the NCAA Tournament's most irreverent, fun-loving, not-a-care in the world No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region has been yucking it up so much you wonder if rival Kentucky has pumped laughing gas into the Louisville locker room inside Rupp Arena, hoping to undermine the Cardinals.
"Are we having fun?'' Louisville guard Russ Smith of Brooklyn. "No, we're having a lot of fun.''
The Cardinals (30-5) could have more fun Saturday night in their third-round game against eight-seeded Colorado State. The Rams (26-8) won their first NCAA Tournament game in 24 years on Thursday night when they laid an 84-72 beatdown on Missouri, outrebounding the Tigers, 36-18.
Louisville has won 30 NCAA Tournament games in that same period, including Thursday night's 79-48 toying of North Carolina A&T. The Cardinals set an NCAA Tournament record with 20 steals, as a red sea of fans turned Kentucky's home court into a Louisville pop-up party headquarters.
Pitino was able to clear his bench. Yesterday, Pitino was so loosey-goosey he said if Louisville and Harvard, upset winners of New Mexico, played 10 times, the Crimson would win four.
Maybe it's something in the water?
"I made up my mind three years ago to make sure we were tight between the lines, but we have a lot of fun away from the lines,'' Pitino said. "It's worked very well. It's a good formula.''
The best formula is Louisville's relentless trap, the likes of which Colorado State has not faced. The Rams have been solid with the ball, committing just 10.9 turnovers per game, 12th in the nation. Louisville is second in the nation in steals, with 10.9 per game.
"We can't be on our heels or we'll have no chance,'' Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy said.
Colorado State has a chance because it is the nation's leader in rebounding and could attack Louisville inside, and the Rams have a chance because Eustachy is oblivious to the pressures to which many tournament coaches succumb.
When asked if he watched the Cardinals' second-round win, Eustachy said he had not. He said he watched an NCIS marathon on TV. He expected to do that again last night.
"Honestly, I will,'' he said. "On my mother's grave.''
lenn.robbins@nypost.com
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