Leading up to the 2009 NIT Season Tip Off on November 16th, Pickin’ Splinters will be counting down the top 25 of the college hardwood nation.
’08 – ’09 Results: 31 – 6 (16 – 2 Big East) Lost in the Midwest Regional final to Michigan State, 64 -52.
Coach: Rick Pitino 190 -73 (eight season) 552 – 197 overall (23 seasons)
Key Returners:
Terrence Jennings – 4.2ppg, 2.9rpg
Samardo Samuels – 11.8ppg, 4.9rpg
Reginald Delk – 1.6ppg, .6rpg
Jerry Smith – 7.8ppg, 2.1rpg
Edgar Sosa – 7.3ppg, 1.4rpg, 2.4apg
Notable Non-Conference Tilts: 11/17 vs. Arkansas, 11/28 at UNLV, 12/16 vs. Oral Roberts
Stat of Identity: Louisville finished with 9.1 steals per game – 11th in the country.
By Paul Gotham
Rick Pitino spent the off-season with his personal life grabbing headlines. Now, is the time for the Louisville Cardinals to grab their own headlines.
Louisville led a somewhat charmed existence last year. Big East heavy weights, UConn and Pittsburgh slugged it out, and the Cardinals slid into the regular season title. Syracuse won an epic four-overtime match with the Huskies in the Big East Tournament. Two nights later, the Orange ran out of gas, and the Cardinals claimed the conference tournament crown. For their accomplishments, the Cardinals earned a #1 seed in the East. Louisville easily dispatched Morehead State, but Siena led the Cardinals with 5:00 remaining before Louisville escaped. The Cardinals ran out of tricks two rounds later when the Michigan State Spartans proved too much.
When Louisville struggled last year, Terrence Williams or Earl Clark came to the rescue. Both of those guys now earn their paycheck in the NBA. Samardo Samuels, Terrence Jennings, Edgar Sosa, and Jerry Smith will need to pick up the slack.
Samuels grabbed 94 offensive rebounds last season. That number could increase with the Big East departures of DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, and Hasheem Thabeet. Samuels needs to develop a back-to-basket game for the Cardinals to be successful. Opposing defenses have no need to worry about Samuels in the post. He can be defended one-on-one therefore decreasing the possibility of his teammates getting open on the perimeter. Jennings played 11 minutes a game this year. The sophomore will see more time on the floor. Can his numbers improve?
Freshman point guard, Peyton Siva, should motivate the elder Sosa. At times the senior is spectacular. Other times, Sosa seems disinterested at best. Against Providence, Sosa scored 18, pulled down 3 rebounds, and dished out 2 assists. On other occasions, like his four-turnover performances against Lamar, Notre Dame, and Syracuse, Sosa is difficult to rely on. Pitino will need more consistency if Sosa is to be his floor general.
Smith hit 41% (54-131) from behind the arc last season. The shooting guard has watched as his scoring has gone from 8ppg as a freshman, to 10.7ppg as a sophomre, to 7.8 as a junior. Like Sosa, Smith’s consistency will be a gauge to the Cardinals’ success.
Preston Knowles hit 43% (48-111) from behind the arc. The junior will see plenty of time off the bench.
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