Rick Pitino need a rest stop. But he may be wishing he rested a bit longer.

His team was on a roll, trouncing previously unbeaten Cincinnati on Jan. 21. You look for a hospital bed after the melee with Cincy, not before it. Then came a tough road game against a decent Tennessee team. No time to stop. Grin and bear it, Pitino must have been thinking.

So he waited for Houston to hit town before announcing that was taking a leave of absence from the Cardinals. When he returned to the bench on Saturday after missing one game, Louisville wasn't the same team he left, evidenced by a 77-70 loss to Marquette.

But it's not that bad. Pitino's return means good things for college basketball.

Pitino didn't disclose his “urological-related” problem at his news conference Friday, but did say it wasn't cancer. It had been bothering him for weeks, but he was willing to push through the pain for his team.

The Cardinals, who were bounced out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round last season, had the look of a No. 1 seed before Pitino left. Cincinnati looked like a dangerous club and Louisville blew the Bearcats away in the second half for a 93-66 victory.

Fifteen wins followed after a season-opening loss to Iowa, including a victory at Rupp Arena over Kentucky. Louisville, a.k.a. Team Chemistry, was beginning to look dangerous itself.

Indeed, the projected brackets for March about to flood the web and Louisville had the look of a top seed along with Duke, Pitt, and Stanford.

College basketball needs its marquee programs to resurface. Louisville, North Carolina, UCLA, foremost among them. Pitino is good for the game because he brings an aura to the spectacle of March.

The program was about to hit a new level once Louisville becomes a Top 10 fixture. Pitino had crafted a Final Four team with one NBA player (guard Francisco Garcia) and some other, decent, but not great talent. Recruits were already starting to flock to learn the one-on-one skills.

The stain of Pitino’s 3 ½ disappointing seasons with the Boston Celtics was being wiped away. U of L looked like it was about to become what Kentucky became in the mid-90s under Pitino: a beast.

It’s simple. Pitino gives this team the gas it needs on offense by pushing them to play defense. Louisville has to force turnovers to get easy buckets, which it does with a relentless style. The Cards do not have a post presence for an easy two points; the easy two points come off fast-breaks following turnovers.

Pitino can talk all he wants about his confidence in 28-year old interim coach Kevin Willard, but it is a stretch to expect this kid, no matter how well he has been groomed by his father and Pitino, to step in and win with just the right adjustments.

Even veteran assistant coaches have trouble filling in for the boss. The most excruciating example was with Duke in 1994-95 when Mike Krzyzewski had back surgery 12 games into the season. Assistant coach Pete Gaudet, regarded as a capable basketball man, took over the program and Duke collapsed.

That may explain why Pitino returned so quickly.

Louisville will probably rebound after losing to Marquette. The Cardinals will adjust, and Pitino will no doubt keep working despite any physical ailments.

But don't work too hard — college basketball needs you.

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