Beginning Monday, June 21st, 2004 CHN began unveiling 144 Team previews in 144 Days. CHN ranked the nations top 144 teams, and is unveiling one per day leading up until the opening day of the 2004-05 Season.

Bookmark the 144 Teams in 144 Days home page, and check back each day to see which team is previewed next.

#12 Louisville Cardinals

CUSA

2003-04: 20-10, 9-7, 6^th

2003-04 postseason: NCAA

By Joel Welser

Rick Pitino has a shot to become the first coach to lead three different teams to the Final Four if his Cardinals can play up to expectations.  Some talent has departed, but, as usual with a Pitino team, there is plenty of new talent coming in. 

Who’s Out: Starting center Kendall Dartez averaged 5.6 points and 5.0 rebounds his senior season.  Starting forward Luke Whitehead scored 11.1 points and grabbed 7.7 boards per contest his last season in Louisville.  Also running out of eligibility are swingman Nate Daniels and guard Alhaji Mohammed, both of whom played in all 30 games and were solid options off the bench.

Who’s In: The frontcourt gets some much needed depth with a trio of talented big freshmen.  Juan Diego Palacios could be the cream of the crop, and it’s a pretty bountiful crop.  Palacios, a 6-8, 245 pound forward, averaged 20.2 points and 9.3 rebounds as a senior in high school last year.  He could be starting from day one.  Terrance Farley is a tremendous shot blocker and rebounder.  The 6-10, 220 pound hometown hero should see plenty of playing time.  Brian Johnson, a product of the famed Oak Hill Academy, is a tenacious rebounder.  He has a nice touch in the paint and on the mid-range jumpers for a 6-8, 245-pounder.  Adding more depth to that talented frontcourt is Ellis Myles.  Myles, a senior, redshirted last year with a knee injury.  Myles will be the anchor for Louisville in what is a very talented, but young frontcourt.  The freshman will have to compete with returning seniors Otis George and Joshua Tinch for playing time, although Tinch, a wide receiver for Bobby Petrino won’t be around until after the football season.  Incoming freshman Lorrenzo Wade is the only new backcourt help.  With his exceptional shooting touch, Wade will find a way to get some minutes.

Who to Watch: The back three of Taquan Dean, Francisco Garcia and Larry O’Bannon is one of the best trio’s in the nation.  All three averaged over ten points per game last year.  The question comes with sophomore point guard Brandon Jenkins.  If Jenkins can prove he can run the point this year that would allow Dean to move to the off guard, where he played before taking over the point last season.  That would most likely squeeze O’Bannon out of the starting lineup.  Garcia led the team with 16.4 points a game last year, which was good enough for fourth in the conference.  The junior swingman’s 4.7 assists per outing was third in Conference USA. 

Projected Conference Rank: Junior’s Francisco Garcia and Taquan Dean will lead this team once again, and hopefully for Cardinal fans, one more year after this.  If Ellis Myles is back to his pre-injury form and some of the freshmen can make major contributions to the frontcourt, then Louisville will make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament.  Winning the conference won’t be easy with a large group of talented teams looking up at Louisville, but the Cardinals should up in 1^st place.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

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Email Joel Welser: jwelser_chn@ameritech.net

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