Indiana’s 2023-24 non-conference schedule was finalized on June 27 and Contained in the Corridor could have a team-by-team have a look at every opponent. In the present day: Louisville.
Louisville’s 2022-23 season was unforgettable for all of the flawed causes.
The Cardinals are one of many three groups Indiana might find yourself dealing with within the Empire Traditional from Nov. 19-20. UConn and Texas are the others competing within the occasion, whereas first-round matchups have but to be introduced. Within the all-time sequence historical past between the 2 historic applications, Louisville leads the sequence with an 8-7 document towards the Hoosiers. The 2 squads final met in December 2018, a 68-67 win for IU in Bloomington.
Louisville enters the 2023-24 season coming off its worst yr in program historical past. The Cardinals underperformed all expectations in Kenny Payne’s first yr on the program’s helm. Louisville misplaced a program-record 28 video games and received simply 4. It was the primary time this system had suffered back-to-back dropping seasons since World Warfare II.
Heavy roster turnover felt inevitable for the Cardinals this offseason and that’s exactly what occurred. Louisville returns simply 4 gamers from final season’s roster. 5 true freshmen enter this system together with three energy 5 transfers. The Cardinals additionally lose two of their top-3 scorers from final yr in El Ellis (Arkansas) and Jae’Lyn Withers (North Carolina).
If Kenny Payne has achieved something effectively since he’s returned to his alma mater, it’s recruit. The Cardinals 2023 recruiting class is ranked No. 7 within the nation by 247Sports. Payne inked 5 top-125 recruits. High-30 prospects Dennis Evans, a 7-foot-1 heart, and Trentyn Flowers, a 6-foot-8 ahead, headline the checklist.
The Cardinals’ additions from the switch portal additionally show to be an instantaneous assist. Former four-star Tre White transfers in after his freshman season at USC. As a Trojan, the 6-foot-7 ahead averaged 9 factors and 5.1 boards in 26.7 minutes per sport. The Dallas native began 29 of 33 video games. White had a really productive first yr of school basketball and appears to be a cornerstone of Louisville’s 2023-24 season.
A reputation which may sound acquainted to school basketball followers additionally joins Louisville after an odd freshman season. That’s Skyy Clark, the previous Kentucky commit who performed 13 video games for Illinois earlier than leaving this system this previous yr. The speedy guard posted inefficient taking pictures splits with the Illini, taking pictures 41.1 % from the sphere, 33.3 % from deep and 69.6 % from the foul stripe. Clark additionally averaged the identical quantity of turnovers as he did assists, 2.1.
Clark is extra of a piece in progress than White, however each are younger and getting into their second seasons of school basketball. Miami (FL.) ahead Danilo Jovanovich is the third and last portal addition to the Louisville roster, he performed simply two minutes final season for the Hurricanes.
Out of the 4 Cardinals coming back from final season, Mike James, JJ Traynor and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield are the headliners. James was second on the staff, scoring 10.1 factors a contest, and Traynor largely got here off the bench averaging 25.5 minutes a sport.
James missed his freshman season resulting from a torn Achilles and began to get again right into a groove later within the season, seeing extra photographs from the sphere.
Huntley-Hatfield is the best-returning defender on the Louisville roster as he led the staff in blocks however struggled to search out his means across the basket. The previous top-five prospect within the class of 2022 had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 15 to 46. At 6-foot-10 and 250 kilos, the previous Tennessee Volunteer has the instruments to be an elite rim runner and shot blocker, he simply must discover a back-to-the-basket sport and maintain the ball.
An upside to the Louisville roster in Payne’s second season is that there are not any seniors. This can be a revamped group that must develop chemistry over time, however they’ve the time. From top-to-bottom, this yr’s Cardinals squad is healthier on paper than final yr’s regardless of dropping Ellis, their main scorer.
It’s nonetheless going to be an uphill climb for one in all school basketball’s most historic applications. Bart Torvik has Louisville because the No. 141 staff in his rankings getting into the autumn. The Cardinals completed final yr ranked No. 263.
Filed to: Louisville Cardinals
