The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page C1

PubDate: 01-14-2007 Zone: IN Edition: 1 Page Name: C1 Color: Bftapbnta Sports PRO BASKETBALL C9 SCORECARD Cll HORSE RACING C13 NFL FOOTBALL Keep up with the NFL with updates, stats and more at www.courier-jour-nal.comnfl. RECRUITING Read Jody Demling's blog at www.courier-jour-nal.comdemlingblog for WHAT'S THE SCORE? Basketball results? Football? Your favorite stats and results are at www.courier-jour- Harry Bryan, Sports editor 582-4361, phone 582-7186, fax SUNDAY JANUARY 14, 2007 coverage of football and basketball recruiting news, nal.comsports. Time: 01-13-2007 23:49 IU firepower too much for Lions Eric Crawford UP NEXT Who: Iowa When: 7 p.m. Tuesday Where: Assembly Hall TV: ESPN ON THE WEB Talk about the Hoosiers, plus check out our blogs at Something old for Pitino, new for this team Penn State's David Jackson looked to pass while being guarded by Indiana's A.J. Ratliff in the second half.

Ratliff finished with 14 points. Christopher Weddle Associated Press first-half deficit to beat the Nit-tany Lions 84-74 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Wilmont made six of his career-best seven three-pointers in the first half and attempted a school-record 17 three-point shots. Ratliff made four threes for the second straight game. It was IU's first true road win this season and its third straight win.

The Hoosiers (12-4, 3-1 Big Ten) have won seven of their past eight games. Wilmont scored a career-high 25 points. Ratliff, Armon See IU, C6, col. 2 Wilmont attempts 17 threes in win By Terry Hutchens The Indianapolis Star UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Roderick Wilmont was in a zone against Penn State's zone yesterday, particularly in the first half.

A.J. Ratliff picked up the slack in the second half. With Indiana University's two sharpshooters combining for 11 three-pointers, the Hoo-siers rallied from a 12-point Cards stay small and win big, 78-63 Kragthorpe nails down one Brohm Jeff to stay on Cards' staff; no word on Brian's decision BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBh' BB BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBfl QbbbbbbbbbbbbbI BBBBBBBBBBBBVBBBBBLSBi BBBBBBBBBBBBbI BBBBKJBBBBBBBBBBr QjBBBBBBBBI By Jody Demling The Courier-Journal One Brohm brother has decided to return to the University of Louisville football program, but another remains mum. Jeff Brohm not only is staying on the coaching staff, but the former of quarterback also is the Cardinals' new assistant head coach. He turned down an offer from new Alabama coach Nick Saban to become offensive coordinator to stay on the staff of new of coach Steve Kragthorpe.

He'll be in charge of the Cards' passing game. Meanwhile, there still was no word on what quarterback Brian Brohm will do. He must decide by tomorrow whether he will enter the NFL draft or return for his senior season. Kragthorpe made the announcement on JeffBrohm, along with the hiring of seven other assistant coaches, at a news conference yesterday at Freedom Hall after his introduction at halftime of the Cards' basketball game against Providence Brohm said: "In all reality, it basically came down to a simple question that I asked myself, and that question was, 'Do I want to help the University of Alabama win a national championship, or do I want to help the University of See BR0HMS, C8, col. 3 Most of Rick Pitino's University of Louisville basketball players probably didn't realize that the last time Providence played in Freedom Hall, Pitino was coaching an undersized, overconfident bunch of Friars to an NCAA regional title and the 1987 Final Four.

But they all recognized that the brand of basketball they played yesterday looked a little more like Pitino's brand than anything they'd shown this season. The press was effective. The fast break was humming. The threes were falling (more or less). And of was winning a second straight Big East Conference game for the first time, 78-63 over Providence.

"You watch all the old Pitino teams and that's what they do: run around the press, get steals, dunks, layups, threes," sophomore Terrence Williams said. "We're trying to do the same thing." You watch all the old Pitino teams and you see something else that has not been in great supply this season: confidence. Maybe that's changing. If Williams is any indication, it is changing. The sounds of slumping Before this season I did not know that 19,000 people cringing in unison actually produce a sound.

Until yesterday you could hear that sound every time Williams pulled up for a three-pointer in Freedom Hall. It's a gasping sound. A shuffling sound, as if shoulders are slumping together, side-by-side. It's accompanied by a kind of groan or exhale. Williams has to know the sound, too.

Pitino actually said that playing a road game, when the crowd doesn't groan with every miss, helped his team. And one good shooting performance at South Florida appears to have switched on some lights for this team. "I'm not surprised that we're getting it going," Williams said. "If I go outside at 2 in the afternoon and it's dark, then I'll be surprised. But how we're playing, I'm not surprised at all." I don't want to say it's night and day, but look at this: Williams has made 12 three-pointers in the past three games.

Before that he'd made just 12 all season. The Cardinals weren't perfect yesterday. Maybe they weren't even exceedingly good. They got pummeled on the glass, as you'd expect against the top rebounding team in the Big East. They missed nine of their first 11 free throws.

But they also created a season-high 39 points half of their scoring output off 26 Providence turnovers. And they out-scored the Friars 21-3 on the fast break. The six first-half three-pointers didn't hurt. Where did it come from? "Why do you get confidence?" Pitino said. "If you're shooting a low percentage and not making shots, why would you be confident? "There's two things that are going to make you confident: going to work every day on it and passing the ball properly and spacing and taking good shots, then, obviously, having a good game.

So now our guys have a totally different mind-set." This confidence thing, of course, can be fragile. Traditionally, of is not the type of program to get excited about two wins in a row. But because of the fire it has shown the past two games, this is a much more hopeful team, if nothing else. "These wins are huge for our confidence," center David Padgett said. "We haven't been on a roll here for a while." Williams, with his 23 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals, seemed only to gather energy as the game wore on.

"Playing like this makes you hungry because you can see it, you can see what you can do," he said. "So we don't want to lose this fire. When you're in the oven and you're hot, everybody wants to be around you. We've got our confidence and our fans back, and we don't want to lose that." It's too soon to pronounce this a turnaround. But it's certainly a turn in the right direction.

Reach Eric Crawford at (502) 582-4372 or Comment on this column, and read his blog and previous columns, at www.courier-journal.comcrawford Jeff Brohm Staff members named by of coach Steve Kragthorpe: Jeff Brohm, assistant head coach, passing game Charlie Stubbs, offensive coordinator Brent Myers, offensive line, running game Mike Cassity, co-defensive coordinator, safeties Keith Patterson, co-defensive coordinator, cornerbacks Reggie Johnson, linebackers Mark Nelson, defensive line, special teams coordinator Greg Nord, tight ends By Sam Upshaw The Courier-Journal "I'm not a guard; I just consider myself a basketball player," said of sophomore Terrence Williams, who matched that description with 23 points, 12, rebounds, five assists and five of the team's 15 steals. Overwhelm Providence with early flurry UP NEXT Who: Marquette When: 7 p.m. tomorrow Where: Freedom Hall TV: ESPN ON THE WEB See more game photos, talk about the Cardinals, plus check out our blogs at Cats win 10th straight Kentucky's Randolph Morris, left, blocked a game-tying shot with five seconds left as the Wildcats defeated Mississippi State 64-60 at Rupp Arena last night for their 10th straight win. Story, C6 By Brian Bennett The Courier-Journal Rick Pitino delivered a message to his University of Louisville basketball team before yesterday's game against Providence. "Coach told us it's not always the size of the players," Jerry Smith said.

"It's the size of the heart." The Cardinals went small in stature but large in ventricles yesterday, beating the Friars 78-63 in Freedom Hall for their second straight double-digit Big East Conference victory. of (12-5, 2-1) didn't win consecutive league games all last season. The Cards have come up bigger See OF C8, col. 3 Thanks to Vinatieri, Colts alive and kicking Although unspectacular, Manning was efficient enough to make up for some of his previous playoff failures and keep alive his hope of playing in the Super Bowl for the first time. All he needed to do was get the Colts close enough for Vinatieri, who did the rest.

"I'm not sure if we ever won one before in the nine years I've played here without scoring a touchdown. See COLTS, C4, col. 1 His 5 field goals are enough to beat Ravens By David Ginsburg Associated Press BALTIMORE Peyton Manning couldn't get Indianapolis into the end zone, and for once it didn't matter. That's because Adam Vinatieri provided the Colts with all the offense they needed to advance to the AFC championship game. Signed during the off-season specifically for his playoff experience, Vinatieri kicked five field goals yesterday to put his name in the NFL record book and carry Indianapolis past the Baltimore Ravens 15-6.

"Adam's been exceptional all year," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "You just feel like you're going to make it every time when he goes out there. In games like this, it's necessary." Rusty KennedyAssociated Press Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri watched his field goal in the fourth quarter go through the uprights. fTEEml Oil Change Synthetic Blend Oil New Oil Filter TIREPLUB Add $2.50 for Used Oil.