| Louisville Cardinals men's basketball | |||||||||||||
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| University | University of Louisville | ||||||||||||
| First season | 1911; 114 years ago (1911) | ||||||||||||
| All-time record | 1,882*–933 (.669) | ||||||||||||
| Athletic director | Josh Heird | ||||||||||||
| Head coach | Pat Kelsey (2nd season) | ||||||||||||
| Conference | ACC | ||||||||||||
| Location | Louisville, Kentucky | ||||||||||||
| Arena | KFC Yum! Center (2010–present) (Capacity: 22,090) Freedom Hall (1956–2010) (Capacity: 18,865) | ||||||||||||
| Nickname | Cardinals | ||||||||||||
| Student section | "The Ville'ns" | ||||||||||||
| Colors | Red and black[1] | ||||||||||||
| Uniforms | |||||||||||||
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| NCAA tournament champions | |||||||||||||
| 1980,1986,2013* | |||||||||||||
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* - vacated by NCAA | |||||||||||||
TheLouisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the men'scollege basketball program representing theUniversity of Louisville (U of L) in theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC) ofNCAA Division I. The Cardinals have officially won two NCAA championships in1980 and1986 (with the2013 title being vacated); and have officially been to eight Final Fours (with the 2012 and 2013 appearances being vacated) in 39 officialNCAA tournament appearances while compiling 61 tournament wins.[2][3]
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 theNAIB tournament in1948.[5] In 1956, led by All-AmericanCharlie Tyra, the Cardinals won theNIT 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] In1959, Louisville made its first NCAA Final Four appearance behind the play of All-AmericanDon 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 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 was hired as head coach from his alma mater, UCLA, where he was the top assistant coach toJohn 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 Cardinals (1972, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986). He is fifth all-time in Final Four appearances.[10]
The Cardinals won the1980 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 theMetro 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 theNaismith 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 theCollege Basketball Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 2006.
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Rick Pitino was hired in 2001 after four years as head coach of theBoston Celtics, and previously as head coach of Louisville's in-state rival,Kentucky.[13]
Pitino 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, and 2013). His teams won six conference tournament championships and four regular season titles. The Cardinals won at least 20 games every season since Pitino's first season at Louisville. Through the2015–16 season, Pitino amassed a record of 391–134 (.745) during his time at Louisville.
Pitino was selected to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013,[14] and was under contract through the 2025–26 season.[15]
The University of Louisville self-imposed a postseason ban for the2015–16 season amid an ongoing NCAA investigation over anescort sex scandal involving recruits between 2010 and 2014. The ban included both theACC tournament and theNCAA tournament.[16][17]
On June 15, 2017, the NCAA charged Rick Pitino for failure to monitor his basketball program which was involved in a sex-for-pay scandal. He was suspended for the first five games of the ACC season in 2017–18.[18]
On September 26, 2017, federal prosecutors in New York announced that the school was under investigation foran alleged "pay for play" scheme involving recruits at Louisville.[19][20] The allegations state that anAdidas executive conspired to pay $100,000 to the family of a top-ranked national recruit to play at Louisville and to represent Adidas when he turned pro.[19][21] The criminal complaint did not name Louisville specifically but appeared to involve the recruitment of Brian Bowen, a late, surprise commit to the school.[22][23] On September 27, 2017, Pitino and athletic directorTom Jurich were placed on administrative leave.[24]
On October 26, 2017, Rick Pitino was fired as the head coach of Louisville Men's Basketball.[25]
On February 20, 2018, the NCAA ruled that Louisville must vacate its records from 2011 to 2015. This included 123 wins, the2013 NCAA title, and a 2012 Final Four appearance.[26]
On March 27, 2018,Xavier head coachChris Mack agreed to terms on a seven-year contract worth about $4 million annually to become the next head coach at Louisville.[27] Louisville was the first ever school to hire away a head coach whose previous team was a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Mack had a notable start to his Louisville tenure, recruiting a top-5 2019 class that included a 5-star player, four 4-star players, and a three-star player. Picked to finish 11th in the 2018 preseason ACC poll, Mack led the Cardinals to a 20–14 season peaking at #15 in the AP polls and finishing in seventh place in the ACC standings with signature wins over #9 Michigan State, #12 North Carolina, and #11 Virginia Tech and tough losses to #5 Tennessee, Marquette, #22 Florida State, and #2 Duke. Under Mack, Louisville made only one NCAA tournament appearance.[28][29][30]
On January 26, 2022, Louisville and Chris Mack mutually agreed to part ways.
On March 18, 2022, it was announced that the University of Louisville signedKenny Payne to a six-year contract as head coach.[31]
Kenny Payne ended his first season with the worst record in modern times for any Louisville team, finishing the season 4–28.[32]
On March 13, 2024, Louisville fired Payne after a two-year record of 12–52.[33]
On March 28, 2024, Pat Kelsey was introduced as the 23rd head coach for the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team, signing a 5-year contract.[34]
Inyear one, Kelsey took over a program that won just 12 games in the previous two seasons and hadn't made theNCAA Tournament since 2018. Despite this, Kelsey led the "reviville", leading the Cards to a 27–8 record and an 18–2 record inACC Play. The Cardinals secured the two-seed in theACC Tournament where they defeated seventh seedStanford and third-seedClemson, securing the programs first trip to the ACC Championship where they lost to first seed and top ranked Duke 73–62.[35] Louisville received an at-large bid to theNCAA tournament as a No. 8 seed, where they lost in the first round toCreighton. Due to the success and quick program turn around in year one, Pat Kelsey wonACC Coach of the Year.[36][37]
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 seventh 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 42 NCAA Tournament appearances (5th all-time) and 15NIT 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 Sixteen appearance records in 1975, Louisville's 21 Sweet Sixteens are 5th all-time behindNorth Carolina (26),Kentucky (25),Duke (24), andKansas (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 theFinal Four 10 times.
Louisville is the only school in the nation to have claimed the championship of three major national post-season tournaments including the1948 NAIA championship, the1956 NIT title and the19801986 and2013 NCAA championships. Simultaneously, Louisville is the only school in NCAA history to have a Men's Basketball National Championship vacated, along with 2 Final Four appearances.
| Tradition | Number | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| All-time NCAA Tournament titles | 2* | t-9th |
| All-time NCAA Tournaments | 39* | 8th |
| All-time NCAA Tournament Wins | 61* | 6th |
| All-time NCAA Final Fours | 8* | 8th |
| All-time victories | 1759* | 26th[39] |
| All-time winning percentage | .652* | 11th[39] |
* NCAA vacated all wins from 2011 to 2015
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First Round | South Dakota State | 63–60 |
| Sweet Sixteen | Emporia State | 82–66 |
| Elite Eight | Beloit | 85–76 |
| Final Four | Xavier | 56–49 |
| Championship | Indiana State | 82–70 |
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First Round | Bye | |
| Elite Eight | Duquesne | 84–72 |
| Final Four | Saint Joseph's | 89–79 |
| Championship | Dayton | 93–80 |
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First Round | Bye | – |
| Second Round | Kansas State | 71–69 OT |
| Sweet Sixteen | Texas A&M | 66–55 OT |
| Elite Eight | LSU | 86–66 |
| Final Four | Iowa | 80–72 |
| Championship | UCLA | 59–54 |
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First Round | Drexel | 93–73 |
| Second Round | Bradley | 82–56 |
| Sweet Sixteen | North Carolina | 94–79 |
| Elite Eight | Auburn | 84–76 |
| Final Four | LSU | 88–77 |
| Championship | Duke | 72–69 |
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| First Round | North Carolina A&T | 79–48 |
| Second Round | Colorado State | 82–56 |
| Sweet Sixteen | Oregon | 77–69 |
| Elite Eight | Duke | 85–63 |
| Final Four | Wichita State | 68–62 |
| Championship | Michigan | 82–76 |
TheNCAA began seeding the tournament with the1979 edition.
| Years → | '79 | '80 | '81 | '82 | '83 | '84 | '86 | '88 | '89 | '90 | '92 | '93 | '94 | '95 | '96 | '97 | '99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeds→ | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Years → | '00 | '03 | '04 | '05 | '07 | '08 | '09 | '10 | '11 | '12 | '13 | '14 | '15 | '17 | '19 | '25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeds→ | 7 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1* | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1* | 4 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
* – Overall number one seed. The committee began ranking 1 seeds in 2004.
The Cardinals have appeared in theNCAA tournament 40* (44) times. Their combined record is 61–45* (76–45).
* – NCAA vacated all wins from 2011 to 2015.
| 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 69–71 OT | |
| 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 74–75 OT W 96–88 OT | |
| 1977 | First Round | UCLA | L 79–87 | |
| 1978 | First Round Sweet Sixteen | St. John's DePaul | W 76–68 L 89–90 2OT | |
| 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 71–69 OT W 66–55 OT 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 80–68 OT 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 82–80 OT 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 | #7 | 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 93–85 OT 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 | Davidson New Mexico Michigan State Florida 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 Title | North Carolina A&T Colorado State Oregon Duke Wichita State 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 |
| 2017 | #2 | First Round Second Round | #15 Jacksonville State #7 Michigan | W 78–63 L 69–73 |
| 2019 | #7 | First Round | #10 Minnesota | L 76–86 |
| 2025 | #8 | First Round | #9 Creighton | L 75–89 |
The Cardinals have appeared in theNational Invitation Tournament (NIT) 15 times. Their combined record is 16–15. They were the 1956 NIT Champions.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 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 |
| 2018 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Northern Kentucky Middle Tennessee Mississippi State | W 66–58 W 84–68 L 56–79 |
The Cardinals have won 23 conference regular season championships.
Since the 2014–15 season they have played in theAtlantic Coast Conference. Before that, they belonged to theKentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from the 1925–26 to 1947–48 seasons, theOhio Valley Conference for the 1948–49 season, theMissouri Valley Conference from 1964–65 to 1974–75, theMetro Conference from 1975–76 to 1994–95,Conference USA from 1995–96 to 2004–05, theBig East Conference from 2005–06 to 2012–13, and theAmerican 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).
The Cardinal have won 19 conference tournament championships.
TheKentucky–Louisville rivalry has been ranked the 2nd best rivalry in college basketball by Bleacher Report and 3rd best rivalry in all of college sports byBasketball Hall of Fame contributorDick Vitale.[42] Kentucky and Louisville first played against each other in 1913 but stopped playing each other in the 1920s, playing only twelve times between 1913 and 1983. The rivalry was generally dormant with only occasional matchups until the teams met in the1983 NCAA tournament. Since then, the two teams have met each year in late December or early January.
Much like theIron Bowl, the Kentucky–Louisville rivalry is all the more intense because the two schools have consistently been among the nation's elite men's basketball teams for most of the last 50 years. Both schools are also two of the most victorious programs inNCAA men's basketball history; Kentucky is #1 on the list of all-timewinningest programs inDivision I Men's Basketball and Louisville #26 (#10 including vacated victories). Kentucky has eight national championships while Louisville has two (officially; three including the vacated 2013 title) national championships.
While predominantly a football rivalry, the proximity and long-standing conference affiliation of Cincinnati and Louisville made this into a key rivalry, particularly in the days of theMetro andBig East conferences. This rivalry went on hiatus in 2014 when Louisville left theAmerican Athletic Conference for the ACC.
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| Louisville Cardinals retired numbers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player | Pos. | Tenure | No. ret. | Ref. |
2 | Russ Smith | PG | 2010–14 | 2022 | [43] |
8 | Charlie Tyra | PF | 1954–57 | [43] | |
31 | Wes Unseld | C | 1966–68 | [43] | |
35 | Darrell Griffith | SG | 1977–80 | [43] | |
42 | Pervis Ellison | C | 1986–89 | [43] | |
Louisville basketball has honored five former players by retiring their numbers. Except as noted, these are the last players to wear these numbers for a Louisville men's squad:
Louisville has three representatives in theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Cardinal All-American and former Washington Bullets All-StarWes Unseld, who was inducted in 1988, former coachDenny Crum, who was inducted in 1994, and coachRick 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.
Twenty one Louisville players have earned 25All American selections. 7 players received 8 consensus All-American selections.[45][46]
|
Louisville has honored the jerseys of 21 former players.[citation needed] 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 |
| 45 | Donovan Mitchell | Guard | 2015–17 |
| † | 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 | Junior Bridgeman | SF | Junior |
| 1974–75 | Junior Bridgeman (2) | SF | Senior |
| Metro Conference Player of the Year | |||
| Season | Player | Position | Class |
| 1977–78† | Rick Wilson | SG/PG | Senior |
| 1979–80 | Darrell Griffith | SG | Senior |
| 1980–81† | Derek Smith | SG | Junior |
| 1982–83 | Rodney McCray | SF | Senior |
| 1986–87 | Herbert Crook | SF/SG | Junior |
| 1987–88† | Pervis Ellison | C | Junior |
| 1992–93 | Clifford Rozier | C | Sophomore |
| 1993–94 | Clifford Rozier (2) | C | Junior |
| Metro Conference tournament Most Outstanding Player | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Player | Position | Class |
| 1978 | Rick Wilson | SG/PG | Senior |
| 1980 | Darrell Griffith | SG | Senior |
| 1981 | Rodney McCray | SF | Sophomore |
| 1983 | Rodney McCray(2) | SF | Senior |
| 1986 | Pervis Ellison | C | Freshman |
| 1988 | Herbert Crook | SF | Senior |
| 1989 | Pervis Ellison(2) | C | Senior |
| 1990 | LaBradford Smith | SG | Junior |
| 1991 | LaBradford Smith(2) | SG | Senior |
| 1993 | Dwayne Morton | SF | Sophomore |
| 1994 | Clifford Rozier | C | Junior |
| 1995 | DeJuan Wheat | PG | Sophomore |
| Conference USA Tournament Most Outstanding Player | |||
| Season | Player | Position | Class |
| 2003 | Luke Whitehead | SF | Junior |
| 2005 | Taquan Dean | SG/PG | Junior |
| Big East Conference tournament Most Outstanding Player | |||
| Season | Player | Position | Class |
| 2012 | Peyton Siva | PG | Junior |
| 2013 | Peyton Siva | PG | Senior |
| American Athletic Conference tournament Most Valuable Player | |||
| Season | Player | Position | Class |
| 2014 | Russ Smith | SG/PG | Senior |
As of 2015[update], Louisville has 67 1000-point career scorers, second only toNorth Carolina for most all time.[47]
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The Cardinals have had 75 players taken in theNBA draft, the most recent beingRay Spalding, who was chosen in the2018 NBA draft, andDonovan Mitchell, who was chosen in the2017 NBA draft. 30 former Cardinal players are playing professional basketball, with six of those currently playing in the NBA.
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Several other former players have played in theNBA, including:
Since the 2010–11 season the Cardinals have played their home games at theKFC Yum! Center located along the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Louisville. As of February 7, 2017[update], Louisville has a 114–14 record (.891) in 6 seasons in the KFC Yum! Center.[48][49][failed verification]
The facility has aseating capacity of 22,090 with 71 suites and 62 loge boxes.[50] It is the third-largest in the nation (behind only Syracuse'sCarrier Dome, Tennessee'sThompson-Boling Arena, and Kentucky'sRupp Arena). Louisville ranked among the top 3 in attendance in the first three seasons at the KFC Yum! Center.[51] The attendance record of 22,815 was set on March 9, 2013, against #24Notre 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.[52]
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.[53]
From 1956 to the completion of theKFC Yum! Center in 2010, the Cardinals played their home games atFreedom 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 2009–10, third in the nation). In 2010, a new Freedom Hall attendance record was set when 20,135 fans witnessed the Cardinals defeat the #1 rankedSyracuse Orange in the final University of Louisville game in the arena.[54]
Jefferson County Armory was the primary home of Louisville Cardinals basketball starting in 1945 whenBernard "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 theLouisville Gardens.[55][56]
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.[57]
Since 2007 the Cardinals have practiced at the $15.2 million, 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) Planet Fitness-Kueber Center on campus. The Planet Fitness-Kueber Center houses the teams basketball offices, practice facilities, film room and training areas.
The facility was named the Yum! Center, until December 2018 when local businessmen Rick and David Kueber donated $3 million to rename the facility.[58]
In 1956 the team was placed on probation for two years by the NCAA, including bans on postseason play, due to recruiting violations.[7]
A former Louisville player, and then Director of Basketball Operations,Andre McGee, arranged and paid for strippers and prostitutes to perform striptease dances and sexual acts for 17 prospective and former basketball players from 2010 to 2014. On October 3, 2015, the book publisher IBJ Custom Publishing released a book entitled "Breaking Cardinal Rules." Based on revelations provided by the local self-described escort, Katina Powell, the book detailed striptease dances and acts of prostitution that Powell and McGee arranged and organized in Minardi Hall over approximately a four-year period.[59]
During the investigation of the allegations, the university self-imposed a ban on the2016 NCAA tournament. In June 2016, the NCAA announced that the university would lose four basketball scholarships over the course of four seasons, but there would be no further postseason ban. The NCAA suspended head coachRick Pitino for fiveACC games during the 2017–18 season. The NCAA also ordered the university to vacate all wins from 2011 to 2014 that include ineligible players. The vacated wins include a Final Four appearance in 2012 and an NCAA Tournament Championship in 2013.[60] Luke Hancock's 2013 Final Four Most Valuable Player Award was reinstated by the NCAA because he was found to be innocent of any NCAA rule violations.
As a result of a corruption scandal implicating various schools including Louisville,[61][62][63] on September 27, 2017, Louisville placed head coachRick Pitino on unpaidadministrative leave andathletic directorTom Jurich on paid administrative leave.[64] Rick Pitino and Tom Jurich would then be fired with cause by the university. Two days later, assistantDavid Padgett, a former star player under Pitino at Louisville, was named as acting head coach.[65]
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