Louisville
Last season: 23-8, did not participate in postseason due to a self-imposed ban resulting from a sex scandal.
Nickname: Cardinals.
Coach: Rick Pitino.
Conference: Atlantic Coast.
Who’s gone: F/C Chinanu Onuaku, G Trey Lewis, G Damion Lee.
Who’s back: G Quentin Snider. Louisville’s top returning scorer at 9.4 points and playmaker with 3.5 assists per game last season; G Donovan Mitchell, who averaged 7.4 points and provided high-flying highlights; G/F Deng Adel, whose versatility might make him the team’s best player; F Mangok Mathiang, a senior who’s recovering from a season-ending foot injury.
Who’s new: G V.J. King, a high school All-American; F Tony Hicks, a graduate transfer who averaged 12.8 points per game during a three-year career at Penn but sat out last season.
The Skinny: While the ban is behind the Cardinals, the NCAA last week accused the program of four violations it must answer in January. With penalties unlikely until next summer, Louisville is eligible for the postseason and believes it can make a deep tournament run with a quick, athletic team Pitino promises will press the tempo on both ends.
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Online:
AP College Basketball: collegebasketball.ap.org
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