< Previousn Louisville has an all-time 1,746-933 record in 106 seasons of intercollegiate basketball. The Cardinals rank 10th among all NCAA schools in victories (does not include 123-3 record vacated by NCAA). The Cardinals played their first official men’s basketball game on Jan. 28, 1912 when it lost 35-3 to Louisville YMCA, but did not field teams in 1916-17, 1922-23 or 1942-43. The Cardinals have produced winning seasons in 72 of the last 75 years, including winning 20 or more games in the last 18 straight seasons and 30 or more in three of the last nine years in on court results. n UofL is eighth nationally with eight Final Four appearances. No other school went to the Final Four four times during the 1980s and Louisville won two NCAA titles in that decade, winning the national championship in 1980 and 1986. Louisville’s 39 NCAA Tournament appearances is seventh best all- time and its 102 NCAA Tournament games are the sixth most played in the event (61-41 record) (does not include four NCAA appearances, a 15-3 record, two Final Fours and the 2013 national championship vacated by the NCAA). n Twenty-one Louisville players have earned All-America status, the latest being consensus third- team All-America pick Jordan Nwora in 2020. The Cardinals have had 75 players drafted by the NBA, including 25 first-round selections. Ray Spalding was the lastest Cardinal chosen with the 56th pick in the 2018 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Donovan Mitchell was UofL’s latest first round selection in the 2017 draft as the 13th overall pick by the Denver Nug- gets and was subsequently traded to the Utah Jazz. Seventeen Cardinals have played in the NBA over the last eight years. n Louisville has won its conference champion- ship or finished second in its league in 28 of the last 44 years, including seven of the last 14 years (American Athletic Conference champion in 2014, Big East champion in 2009 and 2013, second place in the Big East in 2007, 2008, ACC second in 2017, 2020). The Cardinals have finished among the top four teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference in four of its six years in the league, and has been in the top eight all six years. n Louisville is the only school in the nation to have claimed the championship of three major national post-season tournaments including the 1948 NAIB Championship, the 1956 NIT title and the 1980 and 1986 NCAA Championships. n UofL produced the second most consecutive winning seasons all-time in the NCAA with 46 (not current). The Cards played winning basketball from 1944-45 through 1989-90, winning 20 or more games on 31 occasions during that period. n Louisville has three representatives in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Cardinal All-American and former Washington Bullets All-Star Wes Unseld was inducted in 1988, former head coach Denny Crum was inducted in 1994 and former head coach Rick Pitino was in the 2013 induction class. n Louisville has ranked among the top seven nationally in average home attendance each of the last 40 years. In 18 home games last season, a total of 298,846 fans attended games, a 16,658 average. UofL played its 10th season in their spectacular home in 2019-20, the 22,090-seat KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville. The Cardinals have a 162-26 record in 10 seasons in the KFC Yum! Center (.862). n Only five times in the last 54 years have the Cardinals failed to reach either the NCAA or NIT post- season tournaments, excluding four years vacated by the NCAA. The postseason was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. n The Cardinals are one of the most televised teams in college basketball. UofL games will be televised on national networks during the 2020-21 regular season on multiple occasions. Every pos- sible UofL game over the past 37 years has been televised on either a live or delayed basis — a total of over 1,070 games — including over 530 national television appearances. n The Cardinals have been ranked on 653 occa- sions in the AP poll, sixth most all-time. Louisville has been among the top ten on 302 occasions, including 14 times in the 2019-20 season. Louisville’s No. 1 ranking in the Dec. 2 and 9, 2019 Associated Press polls were just the third and fourth times UofL has ever been ranked as the No.1 team in the nation in the AP poll. The other two were March 16, 2009 in the final AP poll of the season; and Jan. 14, 2013. UofL has been ranked as the No.1 team in the nation in the coaches poll on five occasions, including twice in 2019-20. The other three were in the 1986-87 preseason UPI coaches poll; in the ESPN/USA Today poll on March 15, 2009; and in the final USA Today coaches poll of 2012-13 on April 8, 2013. n Six former Cardinals were active on NBA rosters during the 2019-20 season: Gorgui Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves/Memphis Grizzlies), Montrezl Harrell (Los Angeles Clippers), Damion Lee (Golden State Warriors), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), Terry Rozier (Charlotte Hornets) and Ray Spalding (Charlotte Hor- nets). MItchell won the 2018 Verizon Slam Dunk Contest and was runner-up for the 2018 Rookie of the Year. At least 31 former Cardinals are playing professionally now with other U.S. or foreign teams. Seventeen UofL players have reached the NBA in the last eight years. n UofL has retired the numbers of four of its former hoop greats: 8 Charlie Tyra, 31 Wes Unseld, 35 Darrell Griffith and 42 Pervis Ellison. n Louisville is second to North Carolina for the national lead with 69 all-time 1,000 point scorers. Jordan Nwora was the latest Cardinal to reach that milestone in 2019-20. n Louisville is one of four Division I schools in the nation that has won 20 or more games in each of the past 18 seasons on the court. Kansas tops the list with 31 consecutive years, followed by Duke (24), Gonzaga (23) and Louisville (18). UofL has won at least 20 games in 40 of the last 50 years. UofL has won at least 19 games in 46 of the last 50 years. However, the NCAA’s vacation of 123 victories in four of those years (2011-15) negates the official results. n Louisville is consistently the highest-rated television market for college basketball. Louisville has been the top market for ESPN each of the last 18 years since tracking the data, averaging a 4.2 rating or higher over the past 10 seasons. Louisville’s 4.2 rating during the 2018-19 season was well above the next closest market (Knoxville with a 2.9 rating). n Aside from basketball lettermen, some notable UofL alumni include: the late Johnny Unitas (football), Mitch McConnell (U.S. Senator, Kentucky), Chris Dodd (former U.S. Senator for 30 yrs., Conn.), Bob Edwards (former National Public Radio host, now weekends on Sirius/XM), Tom Jackson (former ESPN commentator) and 12 players active on the NFL rosters entering the 2020 season, including Baltimore Colts quarterback Lamar Jackson, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner. n Louisville has attracted over 3.7 million fans in its first 10 years in the spectacular KFC Yum! Center, including a total attendance of 298,846 in 18 games in 2019-20. n UofL has a 232-57 record (.803) against non-conference opponents over the last 19 seasons (includes post-season), including a 168-15 record in home regular season non-conference games. The Cardinals are 89-6 at home in regular season non- conference games over the last 10 seasons. Samuell Williamson was honored on the 2020 All-ACC Academic team, which featured a league-high matching five Cardinals. 28 University of Louisville n gocards.com Cardinal Facts and Figures Louisville Basketballn Louisville has received an NCAA Public Recogni- tion Award seven of the last eight years for ranking among the top 10 percent in men’s basketball in the Academic Progress Rate (APR), which measures academic eligibility, retention and graduation for student-athletes. Louisville and Stanford are the only two schools from Power Five conferences that have earned the APR recognition in at least seven of the last eight years. Jordan Nwora was named to the 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-America second team. The Cardinals have attained a collective 3.0 GPA in 22 of the last 24 semesters, including a 3.160 cu- mulative team mark for the most recent Spring 2020 semester. Prior to joining the ACC, UofL’s men’s bas- ketball team earned four conference Team Academic Excellence Awards (one American, three Big East), which recognized the highest collective grade-point averages in each of the conference sponsored sports. Thirty-four of the Cardinals’ 39 four-year seniors over the last 15 years have earned their degrees, including 24 of the last 25 from the last 11 years. n UofL is in its seventh season in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2020-21. Louisville was a member of the American Athletic Conference during the 2013-14 season and for the eight previous years, competed in the Big East Conference. Louisville accepted an invitation to join the ACC on Nov. 28, 2012 and moved to its current home in the 15-member ACC on July 1, 2014. n Louisville placed a league-high matching five Cardinals on the 2020 All-ACC Academic Team and UofL has produced an ACC-best 36 men’s basketball academic team selections over its six years in the ACC. n Louisville is one of only five schools to be ranked in the AP Top 25 poll at least once during each of the past 18 season, excluding preseason polls (others: Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and North Carolina). n Over the last 10 seasons, UofL has recovered from nine or more points down to win on 35 occa- sions, including four occasions last season and three during the 2018-19 season. n UofL’s large co-ed cheerleading squad has won 18 National Cheerleading Association Championships, including 10 of the last 16 (1985, ‘86, ‘89, ‘92, ‘94, ‘96, ‘98, ‘99, ‘03, ‘04, ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ’11, ‘16, ‘18). The Cards’ all-girl squad has won 15 championships, including eight of the last 10 titles (2001-05, ‘07-’09, ‘11, ‘12, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19). UofL has also won the small coed national title 10 times (2005, ‘06, ‘08, ‘09, ‘11, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17). The Cardinals also won their fifth NCA Cheer stunt national championship in 2019. Competitions were cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ladybirds, UofL’s dance team, has won 20 national titles, winning National Dance Association Championships in Div 1A team performance (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), Div 1A Dance (2002, ‘03, ‘04, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘11, ‘15) and Div 1A Hip Hop Dance (2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018). UofL won the Universal Dance Association title in 1995 and 1997. n Louisville has 39 NCAA Tournament appear- ances, its last in 2019. The Cards have reached the Sweet 16 on 17 occasions and have advanced to the Elite Eight 11 times. Louisville is seventh in NCAA Tournament appearances (39), ninth in tournament victories (61) and sixth in tournament games (102). UofL has a 61-41 overall NCAA Tournament record, reaching the Final Four eight times (Louisville had 43 NCAA Tournament and 21 Sweet 16 appearances before four of each in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 -- plus three Elite Eights -- were vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions). n Louisville is tied for eighth with 17 Sweet 16 appearances since the NCAA began Sweet 16 records in 1975 (years: 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2008, 2009; Sweet 16 appearances in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 were vacated). n Louisville is tied for seventh with 11 Elite Eight appearances since the NCAA began Elite Eight records in 1951 (years: 1959, 1972, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1997, 2005, 2008, 2009; Elite Eight appearances in 2012, 2013, and 2015 were vacated). n UofL Coach Chris Mack has an 11-9 record in nine NCAA Tournament appearances (the last six straight tournaments), including reaching the Sweet 16 on four occasions and the Elite Eight in 2017. All but one of those games from last year occurred as the head coach at Xavier, where he guided the Musketeers to the school’s first-ever No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed in 2018. n The NCAA Champion has come from Louisville’s conference in six of the last nine years, more than any other team in that period (2011-2019), including the 2019 champion in ACC member Virginia. n Louisville’s strength of schedule has been among the top 18 toughest in the nation by the RPI or NET in 11 of the past 13 years. The 2019-20 slate was ranked No. 18 overall by the NCAA’s NET, third-highest among ACC schools. n Louisville has a 53-12 record in NCAA Tourna- ment play when the Cardinals are the higher seed. The Cardinals are 10-17 when playing as a lower seed and 0-1 when facing a team of the same seed (in Final Four). The NCAA began seeding teams in 1979. n The 2020-21 season will mark notable anni- versaries for two of Louisville’s national championship teams. It is the 35th anniversary for UofL’s 1986 NCAA Championship team (32-7 record), which was guided by future Hall of Fame Coach Denny Crum and featured four starters that currently rank among the top 11 scorers all-time at UofL: Pervis Ellison (2,143 career points), Milt Wagner (1,836), Herbert Crook (1,723) and Billy Thompson (1,685); starting guard Jeff Hall was also a career 1,000-point scorer (1,294). Louisville defeated Duke 72-69 in the 1986 title game and Ellison became the second freshman in NCAA history to be named the Most Outstanding Player after producing 25 points and 11 rebounds against the Blue Devils. It also marks the 65th anniversary of the Cardinals’ 1956 National Invitation Tournament title. The 1956 NIT Champions, which UofL Coach Peck Hickman had directed to a No. 6 national ranking entering the tournament, beat third-ranked Dayton 93-80 in the title game to cap a 26-3 season. Former UofL All-America Charlie Tyra was honored as the Most Valuable Player of the 1956 NIT, scoring 29 points against St. Joseph’s in the national semifinal. Tyra, UofL’s first consensus All-America player, is the father of current UofL Vice President/Director of Athletics Vince Tyra. Cards in the NCAA Tournament NCAA Tournament Appearances 39 All-Time NCAA Tournament Record 61-41 Sweet 16 Appearances 17 Final Four Appearances 8 NCAA Championships 2 Mack’s NCAA Tourn. Record 11-9 Mack’s NCAA Tourn. Appearances 9 * does not include a 15-3 record, four NCAA Tourna- ment, four Sweet 16, and three Elite Eight appearances in 2012-15 -- plus the 2012 and 2013 Final Fours and 2013 NCAA Title -- that were vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions. UofL in the NCAA Tournament * n 17 Sweet 16s for Cards — Louisville is tied for eighth with 17 Sweet 16 appearances since the NCAA began Sweet 16 records in 1975. The Cardinals reached four additional Sweet 16s that were later vacated. (UofL years in Sweet 16: 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2008, 2009; Sweet 16 appearances in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 were vacated). The Cardinals have won seven of their last eight regional semifinal games. n Cardinals Have Reached 11 Elite Eights -- Louisville has reached the NCAA Elite Eight on 11 occasions, tied for seventh nationally. The Cardinals reached three additional Elite Eights that were later vacated. The NCAA recognizes Elite Eight records since 1951, the first year that all teams in the tourna- ment would be required to win at least one game to advance to the Elite Eight. (UofL years in Elite Eight: 1959, 1972, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1997, 2005, 2008, 2009; Elite Eight appearances in 2012, 2013, and 2015 were vacated). The Cardinals have a 10-4 record in regional championship games. Louisville has entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed on three occasions. North Carolina 20 UCLA 17 Kentucky 17 Duke 16 Kansas 14 Ohio State 11 Michigan State 10 Louisville * 8 Indiana 8 Four teams tied 6 All-Time NCAA Final Four Appearances gocards.com n University of Louisville 29 Cardinal Facts and Figures Louisville BasketballThe Planet Fitness Kueber Center, which opened in August of 2007 on the University of Louisville campus, houses training facilities and offices for the Cardinals' men's basketball, women's basketball and women's lacrosse teams. The facility includes (clockwise from top) the basketball practice court, a theatre, an extensive weight room, the training room, a well-lit front exterior of the building, and the main lobby entrance. 30 University of Louisville n gocards.com Planet Fitness Kueber Center Louisville BasketballThe Planet Fitness Kueber Center also features (clockwise from below) a men's basketball con- ference room, a cardio workout room which overlooks the weight room and court, the player lounge and the circular locker room with a hardwood court section in the center. The dia- gram at the bottom provides an overview of the player's facilities within the building. An overview of a portion of the ground floor in the Yum! Center includes (clockwise) the tip of the weight room, coaches locker room and meeting space, the basketball court which can accomodate two side-by-side full courts and has limited seating on the side, a training room, equip- ment room, the player lounge, circular locker room, showers and rest room area, and a theatre for reviewing video footage and team meetings. gocards.com n University of Louisville 31 Planet Fitness Kueber Center Louisville BasketballUniversity of Louisville basketball fans have been treated to arguably the finest home court in the nation since 2010-11 season when Cardinal teams moved into the sparkling KFC Yum! Center, located on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Louisville. The 22,000-seat multi-purpose arena is truly a state-of-the-art facility, which will rival any, including those in which a professional franchise is the prima- ry tenant. Built at a cost of $238 million, the arena features the latest in technological advancements - including WiFi within the arena bowl for patrons - and provides a superb experience for fans to enjoy. In their first 10 seasons in their terrific home, the Cardinals have posted a 162-26 record. The Cardinals played basketball from 1956 through 2010 in Freedom Hall, where they amassed a 682-141 record in 54 seasons and ranked among the top five nationally in attendance for the last 29 straight seasons there. Freedom Hall - which cur- rently remains in operation - had been the site of six NCAA Final Fours, four additional NCAA men’s basketball tournament events and 10 conference tournaments in which UofL participated. Owned by the Louisville Arena Authority and managed by Anshutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the KFC Yum! Center is bordered by Main Street on the south, Third Street on the west, River Road on the north and Second Street to the east. UofL’s men’s and women’s teams have perma- nent locker rooms, including expansive space for its coaching staffs, equipment, training room and a lounge area for each team. There are five additional team locker rooms, two officials locker rooms, five star dressing rooms, a full-function media work room and a full-sized basketball practice court on the event level. An interior truck staging area can accommodate three television production trucks and a nearby area includes four loading docks. The seven levels of the arena (including the upper catwalk) include a collective 721,762 square feet, or roughly the area of 13 football fields. The 22,000 seats - split about evenly between the upper and lower arena - include 71 luxury suites, 62 four- or six-seat premium boxes, over 2,000 side- court club seats and four party suites with a seating capacity of 32 each. Centerplate is the concession- aire for the facility, which has 27 permanent stands, 32 portable locations, two fixed novelty stands and 234 total points of sale. After passing through the one and a half acre landscaped entry plaza that features a bas- ketball-themed fountain, entering fans can visit the 2,500-square foot UofL adidas store; the 3,000-square foot UofL Hall of Honor, which fea- tures former Cardinal greats; or head to their seats using one of the eight escalators or seven elevators within the building. Lounge space is abundant within the arena. Four spacious donor rooms are available for Cardinal fans, including three that overlook the Ohio River. The 7,000-square foot main concourse restaurant overlooks the river and a main concourse sports bar has views directly into the arena bowl. Two 4,000-square foot club lounges on the event level, as well as the terrace club and premium box loung- es, provide amenities for their respective patrons. The arena quickly established itself on the enter- tainment scene, hosting such acts as the Eagles and Katy Perry while ranking among the top arenas in the nation by Rolling Stones and Pollstar magazines. The arena has served as the site of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship in December 2012, several NCAA Women’s Basketball Tourna- ment first and second round games, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first and second round games in 2012 and 2015, and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional in 2016. The KFC Yum! Center was again host to the NCAA South Regional on March 28 and 30, 2019. Rank/School G Attend. Avg. 1. Syracuse 18 390,666 21,704 2. Kentucky 18 362,872 20,160 3. North Carolina 15 301,544 20,103 4. Tennessee 17 322,822 18,990 5. Creighton 18 311,651 17,314 6. Wisconsin 16 270,587 16,912 7. Louisville 18 298,826 16,601 8. Kansas 16 262,202 16,388 9. Memphis 18 293,622 16,312 10. Indiana 19 309,699 16,300 2019-20 NCAA Home Game Attendance Leaders 32 University of Louisville n gocards.com KFC Yum! Center Louisville BasketballLocation: Downtown Louisville, Kentucky bordered by Main Street on the south, Third Street on the west, River Road on the north, and Second Street to the east. Project Cost: $249 million. Opening Date: October 10, 2010 Seating: 22,000 for basketball; seating ranges from 16,000 to 23,000 for other events such as ice shows, arena football, concerts, volleyball or wrestling. 22,000 for NCAA swimming Club Seating: 2,054 in the lower level, 800 in the Club level. Suites: 71 suites on two levels with four party suites, and an additional 62 loge boxes Locker Rooms: separate home locker rooms for the UofL men’s and women’s teams, a primary visiting team locker room, four auxilary locker rooms, two officials locker rooms and five star dressing rooms. Additional Features: n Two 4,000 square foot club lounges on event floor level n Loge lounge on mezzanine level n Club lounge on mezzanine level n 2,500 square foot team store n 7,000 square foot main concourse n Restaurant overlooking the Ohio River n Main concourse sports bar with view to the Arena bowl n 32,000 square feet of meeting rooms (four total; three with river view) n Practice facility with full-size basketball court on event level. It will be used as necessary for large event media work space n Media lounge, media work room and media interview room on event level n Seven elevators, including a freight elevator n Eight escalators n Four loading docks and interior truck staging area to accommodate three television production trucks n 1 ½ acre landscaped entry plaza KFC Yum! Center Facts gocards.com n University of Louisville 33 KFC Yum! Center Louisville Basketball34 University of Louisville n gocards.com Inside the KFC Yum! Center Louisville BasketballCrowd Opponent Result Date 1. 22,815 Notre Dame W 73-57 3/9/13 2. 22,814 Syracuse L 68-70 1/19/13 3. 22,812 Kentucky L 50-58 12/27/14 4. 22,810 Kentucky W 80-77 12/29/12 5. 22,803 Kentucky L 63-78 12/31/10 Largest KFC Yum! Center Crowds gocards.com n University of Louisville 35 Inside the KFC Yum! Center Louisville BasketballSituated in the middle of the massive lobby of the KFC Yum! Center, the University of Louis- ville Hall of Honor is a legacy to the rich history of the Cardinals’ basketball program. Designed by Workshop Design in Kansas City, the UofL Hall of Honor highlights the finest team and individual performances from the Cardinals’ past with displays and interactive features. Among the items on display are multiple trophies from national championships, Final Fours and league titles; artifacts ranging from the early 1900’s to the game ball from the last game in Freedom Hall; and a host of interesting memorabilia in a timeline from nearly 100 years of Cardinal Basketball. A multimedia 14-foot wide projection screen and six additional digital monitors within the area capture a multimedia experience of Cardinal Bas- ketball history. Visitors can use two touch-screen kiosks to watch highlights from many memorable games in UofL history. Inductees to the UofL Athletics Hall of Fame are displayed and visitors can view photos and additional information on each member on a pair of interactive kiosks. A scrolling LED board continually displays all of the 1,000 point scorers in the program’s history. Fans can also have their photo taken next to life- size Cardinals from the past. 36 University of Louisville n gocards.com UofL Hall of Honor Louisville Basketballgocards.com n University of Louisville 37 Campus Living in Billy Minardi Hall Louisville Basketball Billy Minardi Hall was completed in August 2003 on the UofL campus. The newly-updated student quarters are equipped with modern kitchens and private bedrooms featuring individual computer and television connections. The complex also contains a computer work room, television room, game room, dining area and meeting room. The privately-funded facility was named to honor the memory of Billy Minardi, brother-in-law of former UofL Coach Rick Pitino who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Campus life continues to build at UofL with multiple new and expanded athletic facilities, new student housing, and many on-campus student events. Next >