2008–09 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

The 2008–09 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 95th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Big East Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, who was in his eighth season. The team played its home games at Freedom Hall.

2008–09 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
Big East Regular Season Champions
Big East tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
ConferenceBig East
Ranking
CoachesNo. 5
APNo. 1
Record31–6 (16–2 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFreedom Hall
2008–09 Big East men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 Louisville†16–2 .88931–6  .838
No. 4 Pittsburgh15–3 .83331–5  .861
No. 5 Connecticut15–3 .83331–5  .861
No. 11 Villanova13–5 .72230–8  .789
No. 23 Marquette12–6 .66725–10  .714
No. 13 Syracuse11–7 .61128–10  .737
West Virginia10–8 .55623–12  .657
Providence10–8 .55619–14  .576
Notre Dame8–10 .44421–15  .583
Cincinnati8–10 .44418–14  .563
Seton Hall7–11 .38917–15  .531
Georgetown7–11 .38916–15  .516
St. John's6–12 .33316–18  .471
South Florida4–14 .2229–22  .290
Rutgers2–16 .11111–21  .344
DePaul0–18 .0009–24  .273
† 2009 Big East tournament winner
As of April 4, 2009[1]
Rankings from AP Poll

The Cardinals finished the season 31–6, 16–2 and were regular season Big East Champions (their 1st). They defeated Syracuse 76–66 to win the 2009 Big East men's basketball tournament (their 1st). They received an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, earning the overall #1 seed and were placed in the Midwest Region. They were upset by #2 seed Michigan State in the Midwest Regional final, 64–52.

Preseason

After an elite eight appearance in the 2008 tournament, Louisville entered the 2008–09 season ranked third in both the AP and Coaches polls in part due to a strong recruiting class. The incoming freshman class is ranked fifth overall by Scouts.com,[2] led by number one ranked center Samardo Samuels. Louisville has been picked by many analysts to be a potential Final Four contender, including Sports Illustrated[3] and Dick Vitale.[4]

Regular season

Despite the #3 preseason ranking, Louisville struggled in the non-conference losing to three unranked opponents. After beating Kentucky on an Edgar Sosa buzzer-beating three pointer,[5] Louisville entered Big East play ranked #21. After beating South Florida easily, Louisville beat three straight ranked teams in close games: #17 Villanova,[6] #12 Notre Dame in overtime,[7] and previously unbeaten #1 Pittsburgh.[8] Louisville would continue strong play, going undefeated in January and winning its first eight conference games before losing to #1 Connecticut on February 2. After beating St. John's, Louisville lost by their most lopsided margin since joining the Big East, a 33-point drubbing by Notre Dame. After that game, Louisville won its final seven regular season games to win the school's first ever regular season Big East championship.

Big East tournament

By virtue of their outright regular-season title, Louisville received a double-bye in the Big East tournament and played their first game in the tournament quarterfinals. In the tournament, Louisville beat Providence 73–55 in the quarterfinals and #10 Villanova 69–55 in the semifinals to advance to the school's first ever Big East tournament championship game in four seasons in the conference.[9] In the finals, Louisville won its first Big East tournament Championship, defeating #18 Syracuse 76–66.[9] Due to losses in the early conference tournament rounds by several teams above them, the Cardinals finished #1 in the final regular season AP and coaches' polls—the first time in school history they have been ranked #1 in either poll.

NCAA tournament

Louisville was awarded the top seed in the NCAA tournament Midwest Region, as well as the overall #1 seed in the tournament. This is Louisville's second ever 1-seed. The Cardinals beat Morehead St. and Siena in the first two tournament rounds, advancing to face Arizona in the Sweet 16 on March 27. After beating Arizona by 39 points, Louisville faced Michigan St. in the Elite Eight and lost 64–52.

Roster
Name[10] # Position Height Weight Year Home Town
Chris Brickley 11 Guard 6–4 175 Junior Manchester, NH
Earl Clark 5 Forward 6–9 220 Junior Plainfield, NJ
Reginald Delk 12 Guard 6–4 175 Junior Jackson, TN
George Goode 22 Guard 6–8 205 Freshman Raytown, MO
Terrence Jennings 23 Forward 6–10 225 Freshman Sacramento, CA
Preston Knowles 2 Guard 6–1 170 Sophomore Winchester, KY
Kyle Kuric 14 Guard 6–4 175 Freshman Evansville, IN
Andre McGee 33 Guard 5–10 180 Senior Moreno Valley, CA
Samardo Samuels 24 Forward 6–9 240 Freshman Trelawny, Jamaica
Will Scott 20 Guard 6–3 185 Senior New York, NY
Jerry Smith 34 Guard 6–1 200 Junior Wauwatosa, WI
Edgar Sosa 10 Guard 6–1 200 Junior New York, NY
Lee Steiden 25 Forward 6–4 185 Sophomore Louisville, KY
Jared Swopshire 21 Forward 6–7 215 Freshman St. Louis, MO
Terrence Williams 1 Forward 6–6 215 Senior Seattle, WA

Schedule
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition games
November 1*
5:30 pm, WHAS		 No. 3 Georgetown (KY)
exhibition		 W 74–67  0–0
 Freedom Hall (17,521)
Louisville, KY
November 8*
8:00 pm, WHAS		 No. 3 at Northern Kentucky
exhibition		 W 84–69  0–0
 The Bank of Kentucky Center (8,408)
Highland Heights, KY
Non-conference games
November 22*
5:30 pm, ESPN360/WHAS		 No. 3 Morehead State
Billy Minardi Classic		 W 102–32  1–0
 Freedom Hall (19,493)
Louisville, KY
November 23*
4:00 pm, ESPN360		 No. 3 South Alabama
Billy Minardi Classic		 W 81–54  2–0
 Freedom Hall (19,241)
Louisville, KY
November 30*
3:00 pm, FCS/WHAS		 No. 3 vs. Western Kentucky L 54–68  2–1
 Sommet Center (8,193)
Nashville, TN
December 6*
2:00 pm, WHAS		 No. 11 Indiana State
Marques Maybin Classic		 W 83–43  3–1
 Freedom Hall (18,924)
Louisville, KY
December 7*
4:00 pm, ESPN Full Court/WHAS		 No. 11 Ohio
Marques Maybin Classic		 W 91–56  4–1
 Freedom Hall (19,083)
Louisville, KY
December 8*
7:00 pm, ESPN Full Court/WHAS		 No. 9 Lamar
Marques Maybin Classic		 W 78–56  5–1
 Freedom Hall (19,058)
Louisville, KY
December 13*
1:00 pm, ESPN Full Court/WHAS		 No. 9 Austin Peay W 94–75  6–1
 Freedom Hall (19,288)
Louisville, KY
December 18*
9:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 9 vs. Mississippi
SEC/Big East Invitational		 W 77–68  7–1
 US Bank Arena (5,922)
Cincinnati, OH
December 20*
2:00 pm, FSN		 No. 9 vs. Minnesota
2008 Stadium Shootout		 L 64-70  7–2
 University of Phoenix Stadium (10,431)
Glendale, AZ
December 27*
4:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 19 UAB W 82–62  8–2
 Freedom Hall (19,627)
Louisville, KY
December 31*
6:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 18 UNLV L 55–56  8–3
 Freedom Hall (19,314)
Louisville, KY
January 4*
4:30 pm, CBS		 No. 18 Kentucky
Battle for the Bluegrass		 W 74–71  9–3
 Freedom Hall (20,078)
Louisville, KY
Big East regular season
January 7
7:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 23 at South Florida W 71–57  10–3
(1–0)		 USF Sun Dome (4,827)
Tampa, FL
January 10
12:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 23 at No. 17 Villanova W 61–60  11–3
(2–0)		 Wachovia Center (17,117)
Philadelphia, PA
January 12
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 20 No. 12 Notre Dame W 87–73 OT 12–3
(3–0)		 Freedom Hall (19,865)
Louisville, KY
January 17
6:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 20 No. 1 Pittsburgh W 69–63  13–3
(4–0)		 Freedom Hall (20,082)
Louisville, KY
January 21
7:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 9 at Rutgers W 78–59  14–3
(5–0)		 Rutgers Athletic Center (5,178)
Piscataway, NJ
January 25
12:00 pm, Big East Network/ESPN Full Court/WHAS		 No. 9 at No. 8 Syracuse W 67–57  15–3
(6–0)		 Carrier Dome (25,721)
Syracuse, NY
January 28
7:00 pm, Big East Network/ESPN Full Court/WHAS		 No. 7 South Florida W 80–54  16–3
(7–0)		 Freedom Hall (17,184)
Louisville, KY
January 31
12:00 pm, Big East Network/ESPN Full Court/WHAS		 No. 7 West Virginia W 69–63  17–3
(8–0)		 Freedom Hall (19,416)
Louisville, KY
February 2
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 5 No. 1 Connecticut L 51-68  17–4
(8–1)		 Freedom Hall (20,069)
Louisville, KY
February 8
1:30 pm, Big East Network/ESPN Full Court/WHAS		 No. 5 at St. John's W 60–47  18–4
(9–1)		 Madison Square Garden (6,128)
New York, NY
February 12
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 5 at Notre Dame L 57-90  18–5
(9–2)		 Edmund P. Joyce Center (11,418)
Notre Dame, IN
February 15
4:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 5 DePaul W 99–54  19–5
(10–2)		 Freedom Hall (19,332)
Louisville, KY
February 18
7:30 pm, ESPN2		 No. 7 Providence W 94–76  20–5
(11–2)		 Freedom Hall (19,484)
Louisville, KY
February 21
2:00 pm, Big East Network/ESPN Full Court/WHAS		 No. 7 at Cincinnati W 72–63  21–5
(12–2)		 Fifth Third Arena (12,350)
Cincinnati, OH
February 23
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 6 at Georgetown W 76–58  22–5
(13–2)		 Verizon Center (12,653)
Washington, DC
March 1
12:00 pm, CBS		 No. 6 No. 8 Marquette W 62–58  23–5
(14–2)		 Freedom Hall (20,079)
Louisville, KY
March 4
7:00 pm, Big East Network/ESPN Full Court/WHAS		 No. 6 Seton Hall W 95–78  24–5
(15–2)		 Freedom Hall (19,535)
Louisville, KY
March 7
9:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 6 at West Virginia
ESPN College GameDay		 W 62–59  25–5
(16–2)		 WVU Coliseum (13,089)
Morgantown, WV
Big East tournament
March 12
12:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 5 vs. Providence
Quarterfinals		 W 73–55  26–5
 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York, NY
March 13
7:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 5 vs. No. 10 Villanova
Semifinals		 W 69–55  27–5
 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York, NY
March 14
9:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 5 vs. No. 18 Syracuse
Final		 W 76–66  28–5
 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York, NY
NCAA tournament
March 20*
7:10 pm, CBS		 No. 1-M vs. No. 16-M Morehead State
First Round		 W 74–54  29–5
 University of Dayton Arena (12,499)
Dayton, OH
March 22*
5:20 pm, CBS		 No. 1-M vs. No. 9-M Siena
Second Round		 W 79–72  30–5
 University of Dayton Arena (12,596)
Dayton, OH
March 27*
7:07 pm, CBS		 No. 1-M vs. No. 12-M Arizona
Sweet Sixteen		 W 103–64  31–5
 Lucas Oil Stadium (33,780)
Indianapolis, IN
March 29*
2:20 pm, CBS		 No. 1-M vs. No. 2-M Michigan State
Elite Eight		 L 52–64  31–6
 Lucas Oil Stadium (36,084)
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time[10] † NCAA Tournament ranks are seeds in the region (E=East, M=Midwest, S=South, W=West).

Rankings
See also: 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP33311991918242097557665 (1)1 (45)Not released
Coaches333111091918 т21201277776651 (14)5

References
  1. "Big East Conference Standings - 2008-09." ESPN.com. Retrieved 03-23-10.
  2. "Scout.com 2008 Top 25 Recruiting Classes". Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
  3. "SI.com writers discuss SI's official preseason Top 20". CNN. November 10, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  4. "Dick Vitale's Final Four Predictions". Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  5. "Kentucky vs. Louisville – Recap". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  6. "Louisville vs. Villanova – Recap". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  7. "Notre Dame vs. Louisville – Recap". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  8. "Pittsburgh vs. Louisville – Recap". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  9. "Villanova vs. Louisville recap". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 17, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  10. "2008–09 Louisville Cardinals Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 23, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
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