Welcome to The Sports Bank’s second annual college basketball season preview series. Last year we looked at 99 teams in 99 days. This year, we are being slightly more aggressive and expanding to 111 teams in 111 days. We will rank the 74 power conference teams and top 37 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order. We’ll break down rosters, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.
For the second straight year, Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals had their season end in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament; this time at the hands of 13th seeded Morehead State. With several core players returning, the Cards are expected to be a top ten team in 2011-12 though a season-ending injury McDonald’s All-American Wayne Blackshear lowers their expectations a bit.
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Don’t expect another re-peat of conference regular season and tournament champs for Louisville. The loss of T-Will and Clark is huge as Rick Pitino will struggle to find someone to replace their leadership and all-around game. The Cards’ guard play should be solid which means their full court pressure will once again be prominent. There is young talent up-front, but the wing play will determine how good L-Ville will be this season. It will also be interesting to see if Pitino’s off-the-court escapade serves as a lingering distraction throughout the season.
2009-2010 Outlook:
Four of their five starters are and transfers Herb Pope, Jeff Robinson, and Keon Lawrence are eligible this season, adding some much needed depth for the Pirates. I would by no means be shocked if they finished above .500 in the conference as their experience should be a major plus, and think they have a very good chance of making the tourney. Jeremy Hazell might be one of the better players in the country who receives little love on the national scene.