Louisville Cardinals

Team Summary

The Louisville Cardinals currently find themselves with a 10-6 record, as they’re in fifth place in the ACC conference.

They’re led by coach Chris Mack, who is in his fourth season with the program. Louisville has just one tournament appearance during Mack’s tenure thus far.

Noah Locke and Malik Williams are the leading scorers for the Cardinals.

Louisville is currently in the middle of the conference in scoring, as they average just 70.4 points per game as a collective unit. Their defense is also middle of the pack in the conference, as they give up 68 points per game. For betting information make sure to keep up with everyday news.

An area of strength for this team comes on the glass, as they’re second in the conference in rebounds per game with a 39.3 average. Jarrod West and Mason Faulkner are the leading assist men.

They’re also in the better half of their conference in 3-pointers per game with 126 makes on the season.

Team History

Louisville has had many great players in their team history, including Wes Unseld, Donovan Mitchell, Darrell Griffith, Charles Tyra, and several others.

The Cardinals have three championships in program history, winning it all in 2013, 1986, and 1980. Overall, they’ve been to the March Madness Tournament 43 times, with 10 trips to the Final Four and 14 trips to the Elite Eight.

Their championship in 2013 was vacated, however, due to an escort sex scandal that involved then head coach Rick Pitino. Their appearance in the Final Four in 2012 was vacated as well, in addition to all of the games they won that included ineligible players during the years 2011-2015, which totaled out to be 123 wins.

Since their first season in 1911, they’ve compiled a 1,882-933 record throughout the course of their history.

Louisville has had over 20 coaches in their history, with Denny Crum being the longest-tenured one, as he lasted 30 years before his retirement.

Championships Won by the Team

The Cardinals last won a championship in 2013, defeating the Michigan Wolverines 82-76, though it ended up being vacated due to an escort sex scandal that involved several members of that team. Luke Hancock led Louisville with 22 points off the bench in that game. Peyton Siva had 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Chane Behanan added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Gorgui Dieng chipped in eight points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Louisville defeated the Wichita State Shockers, Duke Blue Devils, Oregon Ducks, Colorado State Boulders, and North Carolina A&T Aggies during their run.

Louisville also won the championship in 1986, as they defeated the Duke Blue Devils 72-69. They also defeated the Louisiana Tigers, Auburn Tigers, North Carolina Tar Heels, Bradley Braves, and Drexel Dragons during their championship run.

Their first championship came in 1980, as they defeated the UCLA Bruins 59-54. They also defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes, LSU Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies, and Kansas State Wildcats on their run.

Important Team Events

Louisville won their first Big East tournament back in 2009, when they were still part of that conference, as they took down the Syracuse Orange 76-66. Samardo Samuels led the team with 15 points. Earl Clark had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Preston Knowles dropped 12 points off the bench. Terrence Williams added 11 points, seven rebounds, seven steals, and six assists.

One of the greatest wins in history came back in 2012, as the Cardinals defeated the Florida Gators in the Elite Eight after trailing by 11 points with a little over 10 minutes to go in the game. The Cardinals outscored the Gators 23-8 to close the game, as they wound up winning 72-68.

The Kentucky Wildcats came into a matchup against Louisville on a 23-game winning streak, but the Cardinals just didn’t care, as they won 65-56. The Wildcats were held to just one field goal over the last 5:47 of the game.

Top Players

Wes Unseld is one of the most decorated players in the history of basketball, as the Louisville native spent three seasons with the program. Unseld was a three-time All-MVC honoree and two-time consensus All-American. Unseld went on to enjoy a 13-year career as an NBA player, spending his entire career with the Washington Bullets,

Donovan Mitchell spent two seasons with Louisville, as he was named to the First Team All-ACC in his second season. Mitchell is currently playing for the Utah Jazz, as he is emerging as one of the best young players in the NBA, averaging over 20 points in every season he’s ever played in. Mitchell also won the dunk contest in his rookie season back in 2018, as he channeled his inner Vince Carter.

Pervis Ellison was the most outstanding player during Louisville’s championship run in 1986, as he put up 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in their victory over Duke. He is the only player in program history to score over 2,000 points and grab over 1,000 rebounds, and his 374 blocks were the third-most in NCAA history at the time he left the program. He ended up being the first overall pick by the Sacramento Kings in 1989, as he played just one season with them before moving on to the Washington Bullets for his next four seasons. He also had stints with the Boston Celtics and Seattle SuperSonics.

Darrell Griffith is the all-time leading scorer in program history with 2,333 points, as his single-season mark of 825 points is still the most in program history. He was a consensus First Team All-American in 1980, John R. Wooden Player of the Year in 1980, and Sporting News Player of the Year in 1980. The Louisville native also brought the team to its first-ever championship that year, delivering on his promise. Griffith went on to play 10 seasons for the Jazz, as he was named 1981 Rookie of the Year after being selected second overall.

Terry Rozier was a Second Team All-ACC selection when he was with Louisville, as he spent two seasons with the club. Rozier went on to be drafted by the Celtics with the 16th overall pick, as he spent four seasons with them before moving on to the Charlotte Hornets. Rozier earned himself the nickname “Scary Terry: due to his break out performance in the 2018 playoffs while in Boston.

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