Louisville
Last season: 22-14, reached NIT quarterfinals.
Nickname: Cardinals.
Coach: Chris Mack (first season).
Conference: Atlantic Coast.
Who’s gone: Center Anas Mahmoud, guard Quentin Snider, forwards Deng Adel and Ray Spalding (NBA).
Who’s back: Junior forward V.J. King (8.6 points per game) is the Cardinals’ top returning scorer and looks to improve on offense and defense. Guards Dwayne Sutton and Darius Perry provided depth, and Perry will likely be the floor general. Six-foot-11 sophomore Malik Williams, a good perimeter shooter, looks to develop an inside game. Guard Ryan McMahon aims shoot more consistently and improve on defense. Forward Steven Enoch, a Connecticut transfer, is eligible to play and must find his role in the rotation. Sophomore forward Jordan Nwora looks to be more than a perimeter offensive threat.
Who’s new: Guards Christen Cunningham (who was named a captain), Khwan Fore and forward Akoy Agau are three graduate transfers Mack signed to fill roster spots. Senior guard Will Rainey transferred from neighboring Spalding University but must sit out this season per NCAA rules.
The Skinny: Mack’s late-spring arrival after nine seasons at Xavier left him scrambling to replace a handful of departures with grad transfers. He’s also switching the defensive philosophy from pressing and trapping into a pack line philosophy, but with 10 scholarship players and a lack of height, Louisville must stay healthy.
Expectations: Oddsmakers have made the Cardinals a 120-1 longshot to win the national championship. Considering two scandals have cast a cloud over the program for the past three seasons, a controversy-free year of transition under Mack is an important step in the right direction.
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