With the upcoming season looming the Cards have started to practice. This past weekend they had their first Red and White scrimmage. After watching some of the new guys and getting a look at this year’s team for the first time I can say that I am very optimistic about the season. The 2013-14 Louisville Basketball team will be defending a National Title this season and have the opportunity to make history by getting to the Final Four for three consecutive years and possibly winning back to back championships. If they are able to defend the title they will have to live up to the great defensive legacy left behind by the previous teams.
Defense has become the name of the game for the Louisville basketball program. Our Cards have made it to back to back Final Fours and claimed a National Championship with great defense. During last season Louisville averaged 22.6 points off turnovers, the most among teams from big six conferences. The Cardinals recorded a steal on 16.1 percentages of their opponents’ possessions, which ranked tops in the nation. Louisville finished last season with an 83.1 Adjusted Defensive Efficiency according to Kenpom.com and that was #1 in the nation and also the lowest in Kenpom history.
So the question is can the 2013-14 Cardinal Basketball team keep this great defensive legacy rolling along? With several new pieces in place that is one that many folks are asking. I’m confident in the guys we have returning that the defensive will be just as good as the past two seasons. There is a slight learning curve with a Rick Pitino taught defense so having a lot veterans back is a big plus. We will miss Gorgui’s shot blocking as far as interior defense is concerned and Peyton’s speed and defensive prowess up front. But we do have Russ Smith back and he was the most active Louisville defender, with a team-leading 38 deflections and 13 steals in the tournament. With the athleticism, agility and speed that I witnessed on Sunday this group shouldn’t have any problems playing defense.
Seth Greenberg and the ESPN Insiders ranked who they think will have the Top 5 defenses for the 2013-14 basketball season and our Cards made it on the top of the list. Here’s what they had to say:
