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Preseason Sweet 16: Louisville Cardinals

clark kellogg

Editor's note: With the men's college basketball season starting to ramp back up, Yahoo! Sports analyst Clark Kellogg picks the teams he thinks have the best shot at making it to the Sweet 16 in 2006.

Each pick is listed alphabetically. Check back during the week for his latest selections.


Other Sweet 16 teams: Arizona | Boston College | Connecticut | Duke | Gonzaga | Iowa | Kentucky
Michigan St. | Nevada | Oklahoma | Stanford | Texas | Villanova | Wake Forest | West Virginia

THE REST OF THE BIG EAST

CINCINNATI
Bob Huggins is no longer running the show (a big loss), but four talented senior starters are back, so the Bearcats still should be a tournament team.

CONNECTICUT
Despite a few uncertainties, the Huskies have the talent to have a terrific season.

DePAUL
Jerry Wainwright steps in after successful stints at UNC Wilmington and Richmond. And he has a proven guard to lead his new team in Sammy Mejia.

GEORGETOWN
All seven top players return from last year's 19-win team for second-year coach John Thompson III.

MARQUETTE
Like Louisville, a lot of freshmen and sophomores will be counted on to contribute immediately.

NOTRE DAME
With a nice blend of experienced players and talented newcomers, the Fighting Irish should avoid repeating last season's disappointing finish.

PITTSBURGH
With Chevon Troutman and Chris Taft gone, this definitely will be Carl Krauser's team to lead.

PROVIDENCE
For two years, role players have played in the shadow of Ryan Gomes. It's time to come out of the shadows now.

RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights still are a couple of years away from being a .500 team, but progress is being made.

ST. JOHN'S
Norm Roberts did a nice job in his first year, laying a foundation that will lead to marked improvement this year.

SETON HALL
Kelly Whitney, just one of two seniors on the roster, will have some heavy lifting to do for the Pirates.

SOUTH FLORIDA
It'll be a tough year for the Bulls, but Rob McCollum is starting to improve the talent level at USF.

SYRACUSE
Gerry McNamara is the heart and pulse of the Orange. How he goes is how they go.

VILLANOVA
Avoiding injuries while duplicating last year's defense and tenacity could lead to a very special season.

WEST VIRGINIA
Most of the key players return from last year's Elite 8 team, and good shooting can cover up almost any flaws – and is sure fun to watch.

Louisville Cardinals
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The 2004-05 season was good to the Cardinals – the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles and a trip to the Final Four. This team rode the outstanding play and leadership of Francisco Garcia, Larry O'Bannon, Taquan Dean and Ellis Myles to a very impressive final season in the conference.

An excellent offensive team, the Cardinals averaged 81 points per game and shot 47 percent from the field, 40 percent from outside the arc and 72 percent at the free-throw line. They also were stingy on defense, holding opponents to just 39 percent shooting and 64 ppg. But now it's on to the very big Big East, and Louisville has a much different team to work with.

Of the top four scorers from last year, only Taquan Dean returns. That means the 41 ppg provided by Garcia, O'Bannon and Myles must be replaced. Myles was also the team's leading rebounder and one of its top passers, and all three players provided solid defense.

The Cardinals will also miss the contributions of frontcourt reserve Otis George. So you might be wondering, how does this team have a chance to get to the Sweet 16?

Let's start with Taquan Dean. When healthy, he is one of the premier guards in college basketball. There's not a better shooter in America, and I'm anticipating a big year from him. Brandon Jenkins could be this year's version of Larry O'Bannon – a player who explodes on the scene by doubling his numbers from the prior season. It seems like Rick Pitino and his staff have a player like that every year, and that is a credit to their player development program.

Juan Palacios and David Padgett are both talented frontcourt players who are expected to recover fully from the injuries that sidelined them during the first few weeks of practice. Palacios is a versatile offensive player who only needs to improve his defense and rebounding to be one of the elite players in the country at his position. Padgettt had an impressive freshman year at Kansas before transferring and sitting out last year. He's aggressive and skilled.

A highly touted freshman class will be expected to contribute immediately. Under the watchful eye of Pitino, who is one of the very best at getting the most from his players, they will.

This team has the potential to be as good as last year's team offensively, but defensively is where the questions lie. Will the newcomers commit to excelling at that end of the floor? Will they be able to sustain the concentration and intensity required to harass opponents to their coaches' satisfaction? Will this team rebound effectively?

A lot of questions, but with Pitino and his staff, Taquan Dean, a healthy and improved Juan Palacios and a better than expected supporting cast, a very good season is probable.