Louisville Cardinals men's basketball

Louisville Cardinals
2015–16 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
University University of Louisville
First season 1911
All-time record 1778-892 (.666)
Conference ACC
Location Louisville, KY
Head coach Rick Pitino (15th year)
Arena KFC Yum! Center (2010 – present)
(cap. 22,800)
Freedom Hall (1956–2010)
(cap. 18,885)
(Capacity: 22,800)
Nickname Cardinals
Colors Red and Black[1]
         
Uniforms
Home
Away
Alternate
NCAA Tournament champions
1980, 1986, 2013
NCAA Tournament Final Four
1959, 1972, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 2005, 2012, 2013
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
1959, 1972, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1997, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
1951, 1959, 1961, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
NCAA Tournament appearances
1951, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Conference tournament champions
1928, 1929, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014
Conference regular season champions
1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014

The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the men's college basketball program representing the University of Louisville (U of L) in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) of NCAA Division I. The Cardinals have won three NCAA championships (1980, 1986, 2013) and have been to 10 Final Fours (6th all time) in 41 NCAA tournament appearances (5th all time) while compiling 72 tournament wins (6th all time).[2][3]

History

"Peck" Hickman era (1944–1967)

Bernard "Peck" Hickman's 1944 team finished with a 16–3 record and started a string of 46 consecutive winning seasons, which was an NCAA record.[4]

Hickman led Louisville to its first championship on a national level by winning the NAIB Tournament in 1948.[5] In 1956, led by All-American Charlie Tyra, the Cardinals won the NIT Championship.[6] In 1956 his team was placed on two years probation, to include bans on postseason play, by the NCAA due to recruiting violations.[7] In 1959, Louisville made its first NCAA Final Four appearance behind the play of All-American Don Goldstein.

The Cardinals never had a losing season in Hickman's 23 seasons as head coach.[8] He coached 11 20-win teams, appeared in five NCAA tournaments, coached six NIT appearances and finished with a 443–183 overall record, a .708 winning percentage that ranks him in the top 45 all time.

John Dromo (1967–1971)

John Dromo was Hickman's assistant for 17 years and succeeded him at head coach in 1967. In four seasons as head coach, Dromo led the Cardinals to a 68–23 record (.747 winning percentage) and the 1967 Missouri Valley Conference title.

A heart attack during the 1970–71 season forced Dromo to retire. His assistant, Howard Stacey, was named interim head coach for the final 20 games of the season.[9]

Denny Crum era (1971–2001)

Denny Crum was hired as head coach from his alma mater, UCLA, where he was the top assistant coach to John Wooden. It was under the guidance of Crum that Louisville became a college basketball power. In his first season he guided the Cardinals to the NCAA Final Four, becoming the first coach ever to go to a Final Four in his first season as a head coach. Overall, Crum had six Final Fours with the Louisville Cardinals (1972, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986). He is fifth all-time in Final Four appearances.[10]

The Cardinals won the 1980 NCAA Tournament championship by defeating UCLA 59–54. Six years later, Louisville would overcome Duke 72–69 for a second title. Crum is one of only 11 coaches to win two or more national championships.[11] He was named National Coach of the Year in 1980, 1983 and 1986.

He took the Cardinals to 23 NCAA tournaments, where they had an overall record of 43–21. While in the Metro Conference, the Cardinals won 12 regular season titles and 11 tournament championships. In its 19 years of naming a champion, the Metro had Louisville as first or second place 17 times. In 1993, Crum became the second fastest coach to reach 500 wins.[12]

Crum was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1994. He retired in 2001 with a career record of 675–295 (.696 winning percentage) over 30 seasons. He was a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 2006.

Rick Pitino era (2001–present)

Rick Pitino was hired in 2001 after four years as head coach of the Boston Celtics, and previously as head coach of Louisville's in-state rival, Kentucky. As the No. 1 overall seed, Louisville won the 2013 NCAA Tournament championship, the third NCAA title in program history. Pitino has guided the Cardinals to the NCAA Tournament in 12 of 15 seasons, reaching the Elite Eight six times and the Final Four three times (2005, 2012, 2013). His teams have won six conference tournament championships and four regular season titles. The Cardinals have won at least 20 games every season since Pitino's first season at Louisville. Through the 2015–16 season, Pitino had amassed a record of 391–134 (.745) during his time at Louisville.

He was selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013,[13] and is under contract through the 2025–26 season.[14]

Notable achievements

As of the end of the 2015–16 season, Louisville had an all-time 1778-892 record in 102 seasons of intercollegiate basketball ranking 10th in all-time victories and 7th in all-time winning percentage among NCAA division I schools. From 1944 to 1990 Louisville had an NCAA-record 46 straight winning seasons, winning 20 or more games on 31 occasions during that period.

Louisville has made 41 NCAA Tournament appearances (5th all-time) and 14 NIT appearances. The Cardinals have reached the NCAA Tournament 32 of the last 40 years (12 of the last 15, 14 of the last 18 years, 20 of last 25). Since the NCAA began keeping Sweet 16 appearance records in 1975, Louisville's 21 Sweet 16s are 5th all-time behind North Carolina (26), Kentucky (25), Duke (24), and Kansas (22). The Cardinals have reached the Elite Eight on 14 occasions, including five of the past nine seasons. Louisville is sixth in tournament victories (75) with a 75–41 overall NCAA Tournament record, reaching the Final Four 10 times.

Louisville is the only school in the nation to have claimed the championship of three major national post-season tournaments including the 1948 NAIA championship, the 1956 NIT title and the 1980, 1986 and 2013 NCAA championships. When the Cardinals won the 2013 title, they became one of only eight programs to have ever won more than two NCAA championships.

By the numbers

Tradition Number National Rank
All-time NCAA Tournament titles 3 t-6th
All-time NCAA Tournaments 41 5th
All-time NCAA Tournament Wins 75 6th
All-time NCAA Final Fours 10 T-6th
All-time victories 1778 10th
All-time Winning Percentage .666 7th

Post-season results

National championships

1948 NAIA Tournament Championship

1948 NAIA Tournament Results
Round Opponent Score
First Round South Dakota State 63–60
Sweet 16 Emporia State 82–66
Elite 8 Beloit 85–76
Final 4 Xavier 56–49
Championship Indiana State 82–70

1956 NIT Championship

1956 NIT Tournament Results
Round Opponent Score
First Round BYE
Elite 8 Duquesne 84–72
Final 4 Saint Joseph's 89–79
Championship Dayton 93–80

1980 NCAA Tournament Championship

1980 NCAA Tournament Results
Round Opponent Score
Round #1 BYE
Round #2 Kansas State 71–69 OT
Sweet 16 Texas A&M 66–55 OT
Elite 8 LSU 86–66
Final 4 Iowa 80–72
Championship UCLA 59–54

1986 NCAA Tournament Championship

1986 NCAA Tournament Results
Round Opponent Score
Round #1 Drexel 93–73
Round #2 Bradley 82–56
Sweet 16 North Carolina 94–79
Elite 8 Auburn 84–76
Final 4 LSU 88–77
Championship Duke 72–69

2013 NCAA Tournament Championship

2013 NCAA Tournament Results
Round Opponent Score
Round No. 2 North Carolina A&T 79–48
Round No. 3 Colorado State 82–56
Sweet 16 Oregon 77–69
Elite 8 Duke 85–63
Final 4 Wichita State 72–68
Championship Michigan 82–76

NCAA Tournament Final Four history

NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player

NCAA Tournament seeding history

The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.

Years → '79 '80 '81 '82 '83 '84 '86 '88 '89 '90 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '99 '00 '03 '04 '05 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15
Seeds→32431525448431166774104631*9441*44

* – Overall number one seed. The committee began ranking 1 seeds in 2004.

Complete NCAA Tournament results

The Cardinals have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 41 times. Their combined record is 75–42.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1951 Sweet Sixteen Kentucky L 68–79
1959 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National 3rd Place Game
Eastern Kentucky
Kentucky
Michigan State
West Virginia
Cincinnati
W 77–63
W 76–61
W 88–81
L 79–94
L 85–98
1961 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd Place Game
Ohio
Ohio State
Morehead State
W 76–70
L 55–56
W 83–61
1964 First Round Ohio L 69–71OT
1967 Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd Place Game
SMU
Kansas
L 81–83
L 68–70
1968 Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd Place Game
Houston
Kansas State
L 75–91
W 93–63
1972 Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National 3rd Place Game
Southwest Louisiana
Kansas State
UCLA
North Carolina
W 88–84
W 72–65
L 77–96
L 91–105
1974 Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd Place Game
Oral Roberts
Creighton
L 93–96
L 71–80
1975 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National 3rd Place Game
Rutgers
Cincinnati
Maryland
UCLA
Syracuse
W 91–78
W 78–63
W 96–82
L 74–75OT
W 96–88OT
1977 First Round UCLA L 79–87
1978 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
St. John's
DePaul
W 76–68
L 89–902OT
1979 #3 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#6 South Alabama
#2 Arkansas
W 69–66
L 62–73
1980 #2 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship
#7 Kansas State
#6 Texas A&M
#1 LSU
#5 Iowa
#8 UCLA
W 71–69OT
W 66–55OT
W 86–66
W 80–72
W 59–54
1981 #4 Second Round #5 Arkansas L 73–74
1982 #3 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
#11 Middle Tennessee
#2 Minnesota
#4 UAB
#1 Georgetown
W 81–56
W 67–61
W 75–68
L 46–50
1983 #1 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
#8 Tennessee
#4 Arkansas
#3 Kentucky
#1 Houston
W 70–57
W 65–63
W 80–68OT
L 81–94
1984 #5 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#12 Morehead State
#4 Tulsa
#1 Kentucky
W 72–59
W 69–67
L 67–72
1986 #2 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship
#15 Drexel
#7 Bradley
#3 North Carolina
#8 Auburn
#11 LSU
#1 Duke
W 93–73
W 82–68
W 94–79
W 84–76
W 88–77
W 72–69
1988 #5 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#12 Oregon State
#4 BYU
#1 Oklahoma
W 70–61
W 97–76
L 98–108
1989 #4 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#13 Arkansas–Little Rock
#5 Arkansas
#1 Illinois
W 76–71
W 93–84
L 69–83
1990 #4 First Round
Second Round
#13 Idaho
#12 Ball State
W 78–59
L 60–62
1992 #8 First Round
Second Round
#9 Wake Forest
#1 UCLA
W 81–58
L 69–85
1993 #4 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#13 Delaware
#5 Oklahoma State
#1 Indiana
W 76–70
W 78–63
L 69–82
1994 #3 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#14 Boise State
#6 Minnesota
#2 Arizona
W 67–58
W 60–55
L 70–82
1995 #11 First Round #6 Memphis L 56–77
1996 #6 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#11 Tulsa
#3 Villanova
#2 Wake Forest
W 82–80OT
W 68–64
L 59–60
1997 #6 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#11 Massachusetts
#3 New Mexico
#10 Texas
#1 North Carolina
W 65–57
W 64–63
W 78–63
L 74–97
1999 #10 First Round #10 Creighton L 58–62
2000 #7 First Round #10 Gonzaga L 66–77
2003 #4 First Round
Second Round
#13 Austin Peay
#12 Butler
W 86–64
L 79–71
2004 #10 First Round #7 Xavier L 70–80
2005 #4 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
#13 Louisiana–Lafayette
#5 Georgia Tech
#1 Washington
#7 West Virginia
#1 Illinois
W 68–62
W 76–54
W 93–79
W 93–85OT
L 57–72
2007 #6 First Round
Second Round
#11 Stanford
#3 Texas A&M
W 78–58
L 69–72
2008 #3 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#14 Boise State
#6 Oklahoma
#2 Tennessee
#1 North Carolina
W 79–61
W 78–48
W 79–60
L 73–83
2009 #1 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#16 Morehead State
#9 Siena
#12 Arizona
#2 Michigan State
W 74–54
W 79–72
W 103–64
L 52–64
2010 #9 First Round #8 California L 62–77
2011 #4 Second Round #13 Morehead State L 61–62
2012 #4 Second Round
Third Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
#13 Davidson
#5 New Mexico
#1 Michigan State
#7 Florida
#1 Kentucky
W 69–62
W 59–56
W 57–44
W 72–68
L 61–69
2013 #1 Second Round
Third Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship
#16 North Carolina A&T
#8 Colorado State
#12 Oregon
#2 Duke
#9 Wichita State
#4 Michigan
W 79–48
W 82–56
W 77–69
W 85–63
W 72–68
W 82–76
2014 #4 Second Round
Third Round
Sweet Sixteen
#13 Manhattan
#5 Saint Louis
#8 Kentucky
W 71–64
W 66–51
L 69–74
2015 #4 Second Round
Third Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#13 UC Irvine
#5 Northern Iowa
#8 NC State
#7 Michigan State
W 57–55
W 66–53
W 75–65
L 70–76 OT

Complete NIT results

The Cardinals have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 14 times. Their combined record is 14–14.

Year Round Opponent Result
1951 First Round WKU L 59–62
1953 First Round
Quarterfinals
Georgetown
Manhattan
W 92–79
L 66–79
1954 First Round St. Francis (NY) L 55–60
1955 First Round
Quarterfinals
Manhattan
Duquesne
W 91–86
L 66–74
1956 Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Finals
Duquesne
Saint Joseph's
Dayton
W 84–72
W 89–79
W 93–80
1966 First Round Boston College L 90–96
1969 First Round
Quarterfinals
Fordham
Boston College
W 73–70
L 83–88
1970 First Round Oklahoma L 73–74
1971 First Round Providence L 58–64
1973 First Round
Quarterfinals
American
Notre Dame
W 97–84
L 71–79
1976 Quarterfinals Providence L 67–73
1985 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
3rd Place Game
Alcorn State
South Florida
Chattanooga
UCLA
Tennessee
W 77–75
W 68–61
W 71–66
L 66–75
L 84–100
2002 First Round
Second Round
Princeton
Temple
W 66–65
L 62–65
2006 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Delaware State
Clemson
Missouri State
South Carolina
W 71–54
W 74–68
W 74–56
L 63–78

Regular season conference championships

The Cardinals have won 23 conference regular season championships.

Since the 2014–15 season they have played in the Atlantic Coast Conference . Before that, they belonged to the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from the 1925–26 to 1947–48 seasons, the Ohio Valley Conference for the 1948–49 season, the Missouri Valley Conference from 1964–65 to 1974–75, the Metro Conference from 1975–76 to 1994–95, Conference USA from 1995–96 to 2004–05, the Big East Conference from 2005–06 to 2012–13, and the American Athletic Conference in 2013–14.

They played as an independent school from 1911–12 to 1924–25 and from 1949–50 to 1963–64 (29 total seasons).

Missouri Valley Conference (7)
Metro Conference (12)
Conference USA (1)
Big East Conference (2)
American Athletic Conference (1)

Conference tournament championships

The Cardinal have won 19 conference tournament championships.

Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament (2)
Metro Conference Tournament (11)
Conference USA Tournament (2)
Big East Conference Tournament (3)
American Athletic Tournament (1)

Season by season results

Men's basketball team, 1914, CN Caldwell, captain
U of L winning percentage by year
U of L all-time wins/losses graph

The following is according to Louisville's 2011–12 media guide[17] plus the results from the Louisville Athletics web site as of 01–28–12.[18]

Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
1911–12 Craig Sand 0–3
1912–13 Captains 2–3
1913–14 Captains 2–6
1914–15 Captains 4–5
1915–16 Ed Bowman 8–3
1916–17 No Formal Team Season cancelled
1917–18 Ed Bowman 3–4
1918–19 Earl Ford 7–4
1919–20 Tuley Brucker 6–5
1920–21 Jimmie Powers 3–8
1921–22 John T. O'Rouke 1–13
1922–23 No Formal Team Season cancelled
Fred Enke (KIAC & SIAA) (1923–1925)
1923–24 Fred Enke 4–13
1924–25 Fred Enke 10–7
Fred Enke: 14–20
Tom King (KIAC& SIAA) (1925–1930)
1925–26 Tom King 4–8 KIAC Tournament Participant
1926–27 Tom King 7–5 KIAC Tournament Participant
1927–28 Tom King 12–4 KIAC Tournament Champion
1928–29 Tom King 12–8 KIAC Tournament Champion
1929–30 Tom King 9–6 KIAC and SIAA Tournament Participant
Tom King: 44–21
Edward Weber (KIAC & SIAA) (1930–1932)
1930–31 Edward Weber 5–11 KIAC Tournament Participant
1931–32 Edward Weber 15–7 KIAC and SIAA Tournament Participant
Edward Weber: 20–18
C.V. Money (KIAC & SIAA) (1932–1936)
1932–33 C.V. Money 11–11 KIAC Tournament Participant
1933–34 C.V. Money 16–9 KIAC and SIAA Tournament Participant
1934–35 C.V. Money 5–9 KIAC Tournament Participant
1935–36 C.V. Money 14–11 KIAC and SIAA Tournament Participant
C.V. Money: 46–40
Lawrence Apitz (KIAC & SIAA) (1936–1940)
1936–37 Lawrence Apitz 4–8 KIAC Tournament Participant
1937–38 Lawrence Apitz 4–11 KIAC Tournament Participant
1938–39 Lawrence Apitz 1–15 KIAC Tournament Participant
1939–40 Lawrence Apitz 1–18 KIAC Tournament Participant
Lawrence Apitz: 10–52
John C. Heldman, Jr. (KIAC & SIAA) (1940–1942)
1940–41 John C. Heldman, Jr. 2–14 KIAC Tournament Participant
1941–42 John C. Heldman, Jr. 7–10 KIAC Tournament Participant
John C. Heldman, Jr.: 9–24
No Team (World War II) (1942–1943)
1942–43 No Formal Team Season cancelled
Harold Church and Walter Casey (KIAC) (1943–1944)
1943–44 Harold Church and
Walter Casey
10–10
Harold Church and Walter Casey: 10–10
Bernard Hickman (KIAC) (1944–1948)
1944–45 Bernard Hickman 16–3
1945–46 Bernard Hickman 22–6 KIAC Tournament Participant
1946–47 Bernard Hickman 17–6 KIAC Tournament Participant
1947–48 Bernard Hickman 29–6 NAIB Champion
Bernard Hickman (Ohio Valley Conference) (1948–1949)
1948–49 Bernard Hickman 23–10
Bernard Hickman (Independent) (1949–1964)
1949–50 Bernard Hickman 21–11
1950–51 Bernard Hickman 19–7 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1951–52 Bernard Hickman 20–6 NIT Participant
1952–53 Bernard Hickman 22–6 NIT Elite Eight
1953–54 Bernard Hickman 22–7 NIT Participant
1954–55 Bernard Hickman 19–8 NIT Elite Eight
1955–56 Bernard Hickman 26–3 NIT Champion
1956–57 Bernard Hickman 21–5
1957–58 Bernard Hickman 13–12
1958–59 Bernard Hickman 19–12 NCAA Tournament Final Four
1959–60 Bernard Hickman 15–11
1960–61 Bernard Hickman 21–8 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1961–62 Bernard Hickman 15–10
1962–63 Bernard Hickman 14–11
1963–64 Bernard Hickman 15–10 NCAA Tournament Participant
Bernard Hickman (Missouri Valley Conference) (1964–1967)
1964–65 Bernard Hickman 15–10
1965–66 Bernard Hickman 16–10 8–6 4th NIT Participant
1966–67 Bernard Hickman 23–5 12–2 1st NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
Bernard Hickman: 443–183
John DromoMissouri Valley Conference (1967–1971)
1967–68 John Dromo 21–7 14–2 1st NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1968–69 John Dromo 21–6 13–3 2nd NIT Elite Eight
1969–70 John Dromo 18–9 11–5 3rd NIT Participant
1970–71 John Dromo and
Howard Stacey
20–9 9–5 T-1st NIT Participant
John Dromo: 68–23 38–10
Howard Stacey: 12–8 9–5
Denny CrumMissouri Valley Conference (1971–1975)
1971–72 Denny Crum 26–5 12–2 T-1st NCAA Final Four
1972–73 Denny Crum 23–7 11–3 2nd NIT Elite Eight
1973–74 Denny Crum 21–7 11–1 1st NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1974–75 Denny Crum 28–3 12–2 1st NCAA Final Four
Denny Crum – Metro Conference (1975–1996)
1975–76 Denny Crum 20–8 2–2 2nd NIT Elite Eight
1976–77 Denny Crum 21–7 6–1 1st NCAA Tournament Participant
1977–78 Denny Crum 23–7 9–3 2nd NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1978–79 Denny Crum 24–8 9–1 1st NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1979–80 Denny Crum 33–3 12–0 1st NCAA Champion
1980–81 Denny Crum 21–9 11–1 1st NCAA Tournament 2nd Round
1981–82 Denny Crum 23–10 8–4 2nd NCAA Final Four
1982–83 Denny Crum 32–4 12–0 1st NCAA Final Four
1983–84 Denny Crum 24–11 11–3 T-1st NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1984–85 Denny Crum 19–18 6–8 T-4th NIT Final Four
1985–86 Denny Crum 32–7 10–2 1st NCAA Champion
1986–87 Denny Crum 18–14 9–3 1st
1987–88 Denny Crum 24–11 9–3 1st NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1988–89 Denny Crum 24–9 8–4 T-2nd NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1989–90 Denny Crum 27–8 12–2 1st NCAA Tournament 2nd Round
1990–91 Denny Crum 14–16 4–10 8th
1991–92 Denny Crum 19–11 7–5 T-2nd NCAA Tournament 2nd Round
1992–93 Denny Crum 22–9 11–1 1st NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1993–94 Denny Crum 28–6 10–2 1st NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1994–95 Denny Crum 19–14 7–5 T-2nd NCAA Tournament Participant
Denny Crum – Conference USA (1996–2001)
1995–96 Denny Crum 22–12 10–4 T-3rd NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
1996–97 Denny Crum 26–9 9–5 T-5th NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
1997–98 Denny Crum 12–20 5–11 5th (American Division)
1998–99 Denny Crum 19–11 11–5 2nd (American) NCAA Tournament Participant
1999–00 Denny Crum 19–12 10–6 2nd (American) NCAA Tournament Participant
2000–01 Denny Crum 12–19 8–8 T-5 (American)
Denny Crum: 675–295
Rick Pitino – Conference USA (2001–2005)
2001–02 Rick Pitino 19–13 8–8 5th (American) NIT Sweet 16
2002–03 Rick Pitino 25–7 11–5 2nd (American) NCAA Tournament 2nd Round
2003–04 Rick Pitino 20–10 9–7 T-6th NCAA Tournament First Round
2004–05 Rick Pitino 33–5 14–2 1st NCAA Final Four
Rick Pitino – Big East (2005–2013)
2005–06 Rick Pitino 21–13 6–10 11th NIT Final Four
2006–07 Rick Pitino 24–10 12–4 2nd NCAA Tournament 2nd Round
2007–08 Rick Pitino 27–9 14–4 2nd NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
2008–09 Rick Pitino 31–6 16–2 1st NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
2009–10 Rick Pitino 20–13 11–7 2nd NCAA Tournament First Round
2010–11 Rick Pitino 25–10 12–6 4th NCAA Tournament Round of 64
2011–12 Rick Pitino 30–10 10–8 7th NCAA Final Four
2012–13 Rick Pitino 35–5 14–4 1st NCAA Champion
Rick Pitino – American Athletic Conference (2013–2014)
2013–14 Rick Pitino 31–6 16–3 T-1st NCAA Sweet 16
Rick Pitino – Atlantic Coast Conference (2014–present)
2014–15 Rick Pitino 27–9 12–6 4th NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
2015–16 Rick Pitino 23–8 12–6 4th
Rick Pitino: 391–135
Total: 1778-892

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

KIAC – Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
SIAA – Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
NAIB – National Association for Intercollegiate Basketball
NAIA – National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics was NAIB until 1952 when they picked up other sports.[19]
NIT – National Invitation Tournament
NCAA – National Collegiate Athletic Association

Notable Cardinals

Retired numbers

Retired numbers
Number Player Years
8 Charlie Tyra 1954–57
31 Wes Unseld 1966–68
35 Darrell Griffith 1977–80
42 Pervis Ellison 1986–89

Louisville basketball has honored four former players by retiring their numbers. These are the last players to wear these numbers for a Louisville men's squad:

Cardinals in the Hall of Fame

Louisville has three representatives in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Cardinal All-American and former Washington Bullets All-Star Wes Unseld, who was inducted in 1988, former coach Denny Crum, who was inducted in 1994, and coach Rick Pitino, who was inducted in 2013. Darrell Griffith, a national player of the year and consensus All-American at the University of Louisville, is part of the 2014 induction class for the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

National Player of the Year awards

All-Americans

Twenty one Louisville players have earned 25 All American selections. 7 players received 8 consensus All-American selections.[21][22]

Consensus selections

Other selections

Other major national awards

Honored jerseys

Louisville has honored the jerseys of 20 former players. Their numbers remain active.

Honored Jerseys
Number Player Position Years
14 Alfred "Butch" Beard Guard 1966–69
10 Ulysses "Junior" Bridgeman Guard/Forward 1972–75
16 Jack Coleman Forward/Center 1946–49
24 Don Goldstein Forward 1956–59
4 Lancaster Gordon Guard 1980–84
13 George Hauptfuhrer Center 1944–46
20 Bob Lochmueller Forward 1949–52
22 Rodney McCray Forward/Center 1979–83
12 Jim Morgan Guard 1953–57
20 Allen Murphy Guard/Forward 1972–75
16 Chuck Noble Forward/Guard 1950–54
13 Bud Olsen Center 1959–62
15 Jim Price Guard 1969–72
13 Kenny Reeves Guard 1946–50
9 Phil Rollins Guard 1952–56
43 Derek Smith Guard/Forward 1978–82
55 Billy Thompson Forward 1982–86
22 John Turner Forward 1958–61
20 Milt Wagner Guard 1981–86
32 DeJuan Wheat Guard 1993–97

Conference Player of the Year

Key

Co-Players of the Year
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has been
awarded the Player of the Year award at that point
Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year
Season Player Position Class
1973–74 Bridgeman, JuniorJunior Bridgeman Small forward Junior
1974–75 Bridgeman, JuniorJunior Bridgeman (2) Small forward Senior
Metro Conference Player of the Year
Season Player Position Class
1977–78 Wilson, RickRick Wilson Shooting guard/Point guard Senior
1979–80 Griffith, DarrellDarrell Griffith Shooting guard Senior
1980–81 Smith, DerekDerek Smith Shooting guard Junior
1982–83 McCray, RodneyRodney McCray Small forward Senior
1986–87 Crook, HerbertHerbert Crook Small forward/Shooting guard Junior
1987–88 Ellison, PervisPervis Ellison Center Junior
1992–93 Rozier, CliffordClifford Rozier Center Sophomore
1993–94 Rozier, CliffordClifford Rozier (2) Center Junior

Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player

Metro Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Season Player Position Class
1978 Rick Wilson Shooting guard/Point guard Senior
1980 Darrell Griffith Shooting guard Senior
1981 Rodney McCray Small forward Sophomore
1983 Rodney McCray(2) Small forward Senior
1986 Pervis Ellison Center Freshman
1988 Herbert Crook Small forward Senior
1989 Pervis Ellison(2) Center Senior
1990 LaBradford Smith Shooting guard Junior
1991 LaBradford Smith(2) Shooting guard Senior
1993 Dwayne Morton Small forward Sophomore
1994 Clifford Rozier Center Junior
1995 DeJuan Wheat Point guard Sophomore
Conference USA Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Season Player Position Class
2003 Luke Whitehead Small forward Junior
2005 Taquan Dean Shooting guard/Point guard Junior
Big East Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Season Player Position Class
2012 Peyton Siva Point guard Junior
2013 Peyton Siva Point guard Senior
American Athletic Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player
Season Player Position Class
2014 Russ Smith Shooting guard/Point guard Senior

1000-point scorers

As of 2015, Louisville has 67 1000-point career scorers, second only to North Carolina for most all time.[23]

Cardinals in the pros

The Cardinals have had 64 players taken in the NBA Draft, the most recent being Terry Rozier and Montrezl Harrell, who were chosen in the 2015 NBA Draft. 28 former Cardinal players are playing professional basketball, with three of those (Gorgui Dieng, Harrell, and Rozier) currently playing in the NBA.

A man with a close-cut hairstyle, wearing a white basketball jersey, preparing to catch a pass
Francisco García is one of six former Cardinals currently playing in the NBA.
Name League Team
Derrick Caracter [24] United States NBA Development League Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Earl Clark United States NBA Brooklyn Nets
Damion Dantzler Finland Korisliiga Tampereen Pyrintö
Kendall Dartez France LNB Pro A Chorale Roanne
Taquan Dean Italy Lega Basket Serie A S.S. Felice Scandone
Nouha Diakite France LNB Pro A ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne
Gorgui Dieng United States NBA Minnesota Timberwolves
Reece Gaines France LNB Pro A JA Vichy
Francisco García United States NBA Houston Rockets
Otis George South Korea Korean Basketball League Daegu Orions[25]
Montrezl Harrell United States NBA Houston Rockets
Terence Jennings[26] Belgium Basketball League Belgium Liège Basket
Preston Knowles [27] United States NBA Development League Springfield Armor
Kyle Kuric Spain Liga ACB CB Gran Canaria
Alhaji Mohammed Spain Liga ACB CB Valladolid
Dwayne Morton Bulgaria Bulgarian A1 First Balkan Botevgrad
Joseph N'Sima France Nationale 1 (3rd Level), France USA Toulouges
Larry O'Bannon Israel Israeli Basketball Super League Hapoel Eilat
Jason Osborne Argentina Liga Nacional de Básquetbol Peñarol Mar del Plata
Juan Palacios Lithuania LKL Lietuvos rytas
Tick Rogers Israel Israel National League Hapoel Beer-Sheva
Terry Rozier United States NBA Boston Celtics
Samardo Samuels Spain Liga ACB FC Barcelona
Peyton Siva Italy Lega Basket Serie A Juvecaserta Basket
Chris Smith Kosovo Kosovo Basketball Superleague KB Peja
Jerry Smith [27] Italy Lega Basket Serie A Pallacanestro Cantù
Russ Smith United States NBA Memphis Grizzlies
Édgar Sosa Italy Lega Basket Serie A Dinamo Sassari
Tony Williams France LNB Pro A Hyères-Toulon Var Basket

* – player has been drafted by the listed team but has not yet played professionally.

Several other former players have played in the NBA, including:

Facilities

Home courts

A basketball arena with a Louisville Cardinals logo at center court
The Cardinals' home floor is Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center.

KFC Yum! Center (2010–present)

Since the 2010–11 season the Cardinals have played their home games at the KFC Yum! Center located along the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Louisville. Louisville has a 99–14 record (.876) in 6 seasons in the KFC Yum! Center. (current 03–01-16) [28][29]

The facility has a seating capacity of 22,800 with 71 suites and 62 loge boxes.[30] It is the second-largest college arena in the Commonwealth (behind only Kentucky's Rupp Arena) and the third-largest in the nation (behind only Syracuse's Carrier Dome and Rupp Arena). Louisville ranked among the top 3 in attendance in the first three seasons at the KFC Yum! Center.[31] The attendance record of 22,815 was set on March 9, 2013 against #24 Notre Dame.

The playing surface at the KFC Yum! Center is named Denny Crum Court in honor of Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum. The University of Louisville first renamed its home court after Crum in January 2007.[32]

Since the opening of the KFC Yum Center, the University of Louisville has become the most valuable college basketball team in the nation. In 2012 the Cardinals were worth $36.1 million, up nearly 40% from two years earlier, before the Yum Center opened.[33]

Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center

Freedom Hall (1956–2010)

From 1956 to the completion of the KFC Yum! Center in 2010, the Cardinals played their home games at Freedom Hall. Louisville had a 664–136 record in 54 seasons in Freedom Hall (.83 winning percentage). Freedom Hall has been the site of six NCAA Final Fours, four additional NCAA events and 10 conference tournaments. ESPN College Basketball magazine once named Freedom Hall as the nation's "Best Playing Floor."

Louisville ranked among the top 10 nationally in average home attendance at Freedom Hall for 31 years, including the last 28 in the nation's top five (19,397 in '09-10, third in the nation). In 2010, a new Freedom Hall attendance record was set when 20,135 fans witnessed the Cardinals defeat the #1 ranked Syracuse Orange in the final University of Louisville game in the arena.[34]

Jefferson County Armory as it was September 5, 2007 now named the Louisville Gardens

Jefferson County Armory (1945–72)

Jefferson County Armory was the primary home of Louisville Cardinals basketball starting in 1945 when Bernard "Peck" Hickman was head coach until the 1957–58 season, when Freedom Hall became their primary home game site. The Cardinals played 10 of their home games in the Jefferson County Armory in 1956–57 and three games in Freedom Hall. Louisville played one game at the armory in 1958–59.In the 1960s the armory was renamed the Louisville Convention Center. The Cardinals played two games at the Convention Center in 1963–64 and three games in the Convention Center in 1964–65. The last game the Cardinals played there was November 30, 1972. Louisville was 153–23 all time at the Jefferson County Armory which is now named the Louisville Gardens.[35][36]

Belknap Gymnasium (1931–44)

After playing home games at numerous venues in its early years, the Cardinals moved to the newly constructed Belknap Gymnasium in 1931. The gym housed 600 bleacher seats and the baskets were mounted directly to the wall. Louisville compiled a 56–35 (.615 winning percentage) before moving to the Jefferson County Armory. The gym was razed in 1993 to make way for Lutz Hall.[37]

Practice facilities

The Yum! Center (2007–present)

Since 2007 the Cardinals have practiced at the $15.2 million, 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) Yum! Center on campus. The Yum! Center houses the teams basketball offices, practice facilities, film room and training areas.

See also

References

  1. "Primary Color Palette". University of Louisville. March 23, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  2. "2011 NCAA Men's Final Four Statistics" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Statistics. National Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  3. "2015-16 Louisville Basketball Guide" (PDF). University of Louisville. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  4. "Louisville Basketball Media Guide". Louisville Basketball Media Guide. University of Louisville Athletic Department. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  5. "NAIA DIVISION I MEN'S BASKETBALL" (PDF). NAIA DIVISION I MEN'S BASKETBALL. NAIA. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  6. "NIT Postseason Tournament Results (1950's)". NIT Postseason Tournament Results (1950's). NCAA. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  7. http://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin/stanford?a=d&d=stanford19560503-01.2.23&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------
  8. "Former Hoop Coach/AD Hickman Dies". University of Louisville Athletic Department. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  9. "Louisville Cardinal Head Coaches". Louisville Cardinal Head Coaches. University of Louisville. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  10. "ESPN.com - NCB - The Denny Crum Legacy".
  11. "Player Bio: Denny Crum :: Men's Basketball". Archived from the original on October 26, 2006.
  12. "Official Website of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - Hall of Famers". Archived from the original on October 12, 2007.
  13. "The Enshrinement Class of 2013". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  14. "U of L extends Pitino's contract". Courier-Journal. Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  15. "Missouri Valley Conference Index | College Basketball at". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  16. 1 2 "Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference Index | College Basketball at". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  17. "Louisville Basketball Media Guide 2011–12". Louisville Basketball Media Guide 2011–12. University of Louisville Athletic Department. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  18. "Louisville Men's Basketball Results 2011–12". Louisville Men's Basketball Results 2011–12. University of Louisville Athletic Department. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  19. "History & Archives". NAIA Hoops. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  20. John Papanek. "A Rookie Gives The Jazz Pizzazz". Sports Illustrated. December 8, 1980. Retrieved on February 1, 2010.
  21. "Division I Consensus All-American Selections" (PDF). Division I Consensus All-American Selections. NCAA. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  22. "Louisville All-Americans". Louisville All-Americans. University of Louisville Athletic Department. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  23. "Louisville Basketball Media Guide 2010–11". Louisville Basketball Media Guide 2010–11. University of Louisville Athletic Department.
  24. "NBA Development League: Vipers Roster". Nba.com. November 25, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  25. "OTIS GEORGE basketball profile". Retrieved December 19, 2010.
  26. "Info teams". Ethias League. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  27. 1 2 "NBA Development League: 2011–2012 Armor Regular Season Statistics". Nba.com. January 1, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  28. "2015-16 Louisville Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of Louisville. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  29. "Louisville Men's Basketball Schedule and Results". gocards.com. University of Louisville. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  30. "Men's Basketball Information Guide". Men's Basketball Information Guide. University of Louisville Athletic Department. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  31. "NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Attendance Leaders Year-by-Year (1970–2011)" (PDF). NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Attendance Leaders Year-by-Year (1970–2012). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  32. "Court at KFC Yum! Center still honors Crum". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  33. Smith, Chris. "College Basketball's Most Valuable Teams 2014: Louisville Cardinals On Top Again". Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  34. "Louisville Surprises No. 1 Syracuse". New Tork Times. March 6, 2010. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  35. "Louisville basketball has had many homes before the KFC Yum! Center | The Courier-Journal". courier-journal.com. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  36. pg.145
  37. "University of Louisville Library Digital Collections". University of Louisville Library Digital Collections. University of Louisville. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 26, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.