Louisville Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Cardinals
By Brian Rauf
Louisville Basketball is ushering in a new era following NCAA sanctions and the FBI investigation. Will Chris Mack return the Cardinals to prominence this year?
No program may be as ready for the season to start as much as Louisville Basketball is. Following multiple seasons marred by an NCAA investigation followed by sanctions and the FBI investigation that led to the firing of former head coach Rick Pitino, the Cardinals want to officially turn the page and get back to basketball.
New head coach Chris Mack, who experienced unprecedented success at Xavier, is tasked with getting the program back on track and returning them to national prominence.
Mack has plenty he needs to replace. Louisville lost all three players who averaged double-figures in scoring last year (Deng Adel, Quentin Snider, and Ray Spalding) and only return one player who averaged at least 16 minutes per game.
That player is V.J. King, and he’ll likely be the centerpiece of this team. Five other rotation players return, all of whom averaged over 10 minutes per game last season, and Mack worked to patch their roster together by adding four grad transfers (no incoming freshmen). However, King – a former five-star recruit – is clearly the most talented
All 10 of those players will see time for the Cardinals as Mack will have to employ the “strength in numbers” approach. There’s no denying that Louisville lacks bonafide stars but all 10 players are capable of making contributions.
Will that be enough for Louisville to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing out a year ago? Here’s a full preview for what to expect from the Cardinals in 2018-19, including a look at their projected rotation and a full breakdown of their non-conference schedule.