The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE - During a recent film session, Louisville freshman Francisco Garcia asked Coach Rick Pitino why the Cardinals never saw any opponent miss a shot.

"Modern technology," Pitino replied.

It doesn't take much fancy editing to see how impressively Garcia is shooting the ball lately.

The slender, 6-foot-7 swing man from New York City has notched consecutive career highs of 23 and 24 points in fifth-ranked Louisville's last two games - home victories over Indiana and Cincinnati.

He went 16-of-25 in those games, including 10-of-15 from 3-point range, and tied a school record with eight 3-pointers in Wednesday's 77-71 win over the Bearcats.

"Wednesday night was my night," Garcia said.

He'll shoot for his third career-high in a row when the Cardinals (17-1, 7-0 Conference USA) go for their 17th straight win at Houston (6-12, 4-3) on Saturday.

"I feel like every night, I could come up with a lot of points. But if we win, I don't care how much I score," said Garcia, second on the team in 3-point field goals (32) and 3-point shooting percentage (43 percent).

Pitino said Garcia is starting to remind him of Indiana Pacers sharpshooter Reggie Miller with his knack for finding open seams and for uncontested perimeter jumpers.

The next step, Pitino says, is teaching Garcia how to attack the basket more.

"We've been trying to work on him getting into the lane and using his length to create things," Pitino said. "He can come off screens, put the ball on the floor and get to the middle. His vision is so good, his passing is excellent.

"When he gets to his junior and senior year, you're going to have something special."

Garcia wouldn't mind becoming a distributor as well as a scorer.

"I know it's not just me," he said. "Maybe another game, Erik Brown will have more points. Sometimes it's going to be Reece Gaines, sometimes it's going to be Taquan Dean. We're not based on one or two guys. That's the reason we're winning."

Oddly, the only category where Garcia leads the team is blocked shots. Pitino is quick to point out that doesn't mean he's a great defender - yet.

"I was pleased with Francisco Garcia's offensive performance (against Cincinnati), but he did not have a good defensive night," Pitino said. "You'd give him an A-plus on offense, but he wouldn't get very high grades on defense, which he hasn't all year."

Pitino revealed Friday that many of his players were fighting illnesses against the Bearcats. He said Gaines, Louisville's leading scorer, was battling bronchitis; junior forward Kendall Dartez had strep throat and junior guard Bryant Northern continued to fight a sickness he's had since last week.

"That was not the reason for our poor play, but I think we'll be healthy again this weekend," Pitino said.

Saturday's game will be an event in Houston. During a halftime ceremony, the school will honor former coach Guy Lewis, who led the explosive Phi Slama Jama teams of the early 1980s and had one of his greatest moments 20 years ago against Louisville.

In one of college basketball's most memorable games, the Cougars and Cardinals squared off in the 1983 NCAA semifinals, and No. 1 Houston beat No. 2 Louisville 94-81 in a game that featured 19 dunks. Houston went on to lose the national championship to North Carolina State in a stunning upset.

The Cougars have averaged a paltry 3,604 fans in 10 home games at Hofheinz Pavilion, but as of 4:30 p.m. EST Friday, had sold 6,500 for Saturday's nationally televised matchup.

"This will be a very emotional night for them," Pitino said. "We've built a situation right now where we have the longest win streak in the country, so we're always going to have a different environment.

"That's the fun we created. We've got to be ready for that."

IOWA STATE

Federal authorities are conducting an investigation that involves Iowa State assistant coach Randall Brown, university officials said Friday.

The investigation does not involve the men's basketball program, members of the team or other members of the staff, school spokesman John McCarroll said.

Federal authorities asked the university not to comment on the investigation, McCarroll said. He declined to name the federal agency.

Brown, 45, a four-year assistant with the Cyclones, has been on paid leave since Jan. 29.

Brown previously worked as a coach at Stetson and Miami University. He also served as an assistant at Drake, Marquette, North Dakota and Arizona.

A search warrant in Brown's name was sealed Feb. 3 by a Story County District Court judge.

Records from the university's Department of Public Safety show campus police assisted in a search of offices at Hilton Coliseum, The Des Moines Register reported.