Rick Pitino isn't generally one to set lofty goals for his team, especially before March. That's why what he said during his pre-radio show news conference on Wednesday surprised so many people.

"Our goal is to win the next seven games," Pitino said. "Finish the season 26-5. That's our goal. We don't worry about the past, we learn from the past."

It's going to be a tall task for a team that will play three of those games on the road, including a March 2 date at Syracuse, a team which knocked off the Cards inside the KFC Yum Center last month. Still, Pitino remained firm about what he wants from this team.

"Seven straight wins," Pitino said. "Anything less, I'll be very disappointed. That's my goal. I think we're going to have to play smart. We're playing hard enough, our effort is good enough to do it, we're not playing smart enough to do it."

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The gauntlet has been laid.

You can hear the rest of Pitino's comments from Wednesday night thanks to the folks at the C-J: