ROME -- In terms of salaries, Atalanta ranks 15th in Serie A. On the field, however, its been a different story for the provincial club, which has relied on homegrown talent to become the best team in the Italian league over the last seven rounds.After gaining 19 out of a possible 21 points since Sept. 26, Atalanta has rocketed up the standings to fifth place to make qualifying for Europe a distinct possibility.The Bergamo squad has won four straight and achieved three consecutive clean sheets in which it has outscored the opposition 7-0.Were on a fantastic streak but the most important thing has been the way weve been playing and that the squad and players have been improving continuously, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said.Gasperinis job was at risk when Atalanta lost four of its five opening matches, but club president Antonio Percassis faith in the coach has proved decisive.Atalanta features nine homegrown players on its first team -- the most in Serie A -- and regularly uses them.Players like 22-year-old defenders Mattia Caldara and Andrea Conti, 21-year-old striker Andrea Petagna -- all members of Italys under-21 squad -- and 22-year-old midfielder Roberto Gagliardini, who was given his first call up to Italys senior national team this month after only nine Serie A appearances, are in the team.Then theres 19-year-old Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie, who first spent time on the youth squad after arriving in January 2015. He leads the team with four goals this season.Its a matter of pride for us and for the club, Gagliardini said of the widespread use of homegrown players.Added Caldara: Were friends before were teammates.The youth movement was on full display in Atalantas last match, a 3-0 win at Sassuolo in which Caldara and Conti scored and Gagliardini provided the assist for the opening goal by Alejandro Papu Gomez.The victory over Sassuolo was significant because it gave Atalanta bragging rights as the leagues top provincial squad.Sassuolo set a club record by finishing sixth last season to qualify for the Europa League, an achievement Atalanta would like to emulate.In its 109-year history, Atalanta has spent 56 seasons in Serie A -- more than any other club which has never won the top division.Its only major trophy was the 1963 Italian Cup, besides six Serie B titles. Atalanta also reached the Cup Winners Cup semifinals in 1988 while competing in Serie B -- one of the best performances by a non-first division club in a major UEFA competition.The club has also had its troubles, getting docked six points in 2011-12 for a widespread betting and match-fixing scandal that ended the career of club captain Cristiano Doni, who was arrested.Atalanta was also docked two points the following season but it managed to avoid relegation from Serie A on both occasions.With a population of 120,000, Bergamo is a mid-sized city that is considered part of the wider Milan metropolitan area, which made a 2-1 win over Inter Milan last month especially sweet.Gasperini, in his first season at Atalanta, was hardly given a chance at Inter, where he was fired after five winless matches in September 2011.Bergamo attracts many Milan residents for its airport that is home to low-cost airlines and the club is also a relatively low-cost affair.Atalanta, which pays its players a total of 24 million euros ($26.5 million) per season, is level on points with fourth-place Lazio, which pays its players more than twice as much.In July, Atalanta sold Marten de Roon to Middlesbrough for 14 million euros ($15 million), a year after paying Heerenveen 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) for the Dutch midfielder. That helped Atalanta earn a 6 million euro ($6.5 million) profit in the offseason transfer market.Were enjoying the moment and it provides us with extra motivation to continue along this path, Gasperini said.Having helped launch the careers of players like Roberto Donadoni, Christian Vieri and Filippo Inzaghi -- plus current AC Milan standouts Riccardo Montolivo and Giacomo Bonaventura -- Atalanta has long been a starting spot for players who later achieved greatness.And with coaches like Marcello Lippi, Cesare Prandelli and Antonio Conte making stops in Bergamo, its also been on the road to managerial success.The clubs current fortune will be tested against Roma on Sunday and in games against Juventus and Milan -- the top three teams in the standings -- before the holiday break.Weve got a Tour de Force awaiting us until Christmas but weve got enthusiasm, Gasperini said. So lets see where it takes us.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf Yogi Ferrell Kings Jersey . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. DeAaron Fox Kings Jersey . Los Angeles star goalie survived those perilous gymnastics with no problem, and he eventually backstopped the Kings to a skid-snapping win. Quick stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game injury absence, Jeff Carter scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:55 to play, and the Kings snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. http://www.nbakingsonline.com/Customized/ . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Mike Bibby Kings Jersey . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. Chris Webber Kings Jersey . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. LAS VEGAS -- Kentucky played North Carolina in arguably the best college basketball game of the season, a thriller that may not be topped again until March Madness hits.The sixth-ranked Wildcats dont get much time to enjoy it.Next up is No. 10 Louisville on Wednesday, a rivalry game that had their attention right after the buzzer sounded in Las Vegas on Saturday.Now weve got another war in three or four days after we traveled half a country away to go back home and play Louisville on the road, Kentucky coach John Calipari said.Kentucky (10-1) has one loss, to No. 2 UCLA, and blew out everyone else it played, so Calipari wanted a close game for his young team.It certainly got it against North Carolina .The Tar Heels have the length and athleticism to match the Wildcats, and the teams put on quite a show along The Strip, trading highlight-reel plays.Kentuckys Malik Monk scored a Kentucky freshman-record 47 points and hit a late 3-pointer to propel the Wildcats to the 103-100 victory. The win moved Kentucky up a spot to No. 6 in the latest AP Top 25 .Now the Wildcats get the 50th meeting with their biggest rival.Louisville (10-1) had a hard time shaking Grand Canyon on Dec. 3 but has won its past three games in blowouts and has one of the nations best defenses.The Cardinals lead the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing 87.8 points per 100 possessions, and held Wichita State to 17 points in the first half earlier this season.Louisville-Kentucky games are always intense, and last years game was won by the Wildcats 75-73 to give Coach Cal his 200th career victory.Were going to run with them, but we have to take good shots, Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. Hopefully its good enough to beat them. They are a great transition team.Louisvilles schedule doesnt get much easier after Wednesday. The Cardinals play No. 12 Virginia on Dec. 28, No. 16 Indiana three days later, then at No. 25 Notre Dame on Jan. 4.---CAROLINA RIVALSThatt Bluegrass battle isnt the only rivalry game this week.ddddddddddddAlso on Wednesday, No. 22 South Carolina hosts Clemson in a 9 p.m. EST game.The Gamecocks (9-1) dropped six spots in the poll after losing to Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden but bounced back with an 11-point win over South Florida .Clemson (8-2) has rallied from losing two of its first four games -- to Xavier and Oklahoma -- with six straight wins, including 67-54 over Alabama on Sunday.South Carolina leading scorer Sindarius Thornwell has been suspended indefinitely for violating athletic department policy, so the Tigers could have a shot on the road.---LIGHT SLATEThe holiday week is light on big-time matchups and front-loaded with games, with no Top-25 teams playing on the weekend.Kentucky-Louisville is the only game between ranked teams and many of the teams in the Top 25 are expected to have blowouts against smaller schools.A handful of games could be close, at least for a little while. Those include No. 18 Arizona, which is short-handed, against New Mexico on Tuesday and No. 8 North Carolina against Northern Iowa on Wednesday.---WATCH LISTA few teams that could make a move into the poll with wins this week:Florida. The Gators (8-3) had a rough week two weeks ago, losing to Duke and Florida State, but again received votes this week after blowing out Charlotte . They play Little Rock on Wednesday.Virginia Tech. The Hokies (9-1) have three wins over Power-5 teams and their only loss was close to Texas A&M. They received more votes last week and could find themselves ranked with a win over Charleston Southern on Tuesday.Maryland. The Terps (11-1) have wins over Georgetown, Richmond and Oklahoma State and may be back in the rankings with a win over Charlotte on Tuesday.---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '