In his ninth season as the head man at Louisville, Head Coach Rick Pitino led his squad to a 20-13 record (11-7 in the Big East) earning an At-large bid into the 2010 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament as a ninth seed.

The highlight of the season was 78-68 defeat of #1 ranked Syracuse but in the Big East Tournament ran into trouble against a game Cincinnati squad, losing to the Bearcats 66-69. 

The Cardinals do have a number of seasoned players returning to the squad including Samardo Samuels, who last season averaged a team high 11.8 ppg in the power forward position.  Edgar Sosa should start at point guard along with Jerry Smith at shooting guard, Reginald Delk at small forward and Terrence Jennings at Center. 

A SHORT HISTORY 

The Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team is noted as one of the premier programs in college basketball.   The tradition includes 35 NCAA tournament appearances (5th all time), eight trips to the Final Four (winning two) and have won 18 or more games in 37 of the last 40 seasons to include a 15-year run with 24 wins or more per season.  Arguably one of the best head coaches in college basketball stalked the Cardinals sidelines.  Compiling a recorded of 675-295 (.695) Denzil “Denny” Crum coached the Cardinals from 1971-2001 and guided his teams to two NCAA Championships and six Final Fours.  He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. 

The Cardinals have won two NCAA Championships.  They have made it into the Final Four eight times, the Elite Eight eleven times and the Sweet Sixteen twenty-three times.  They have made it to the NCAA second round thirty times and have made thirty-five NCAA Tournament appearances.