2017–18 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, Kentucky as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were led by interim head coach David Padgett after former head coach Rick Pitino was fired due to an FBI investigation into the school.[1][2] They finished the season 22–14 overall, and 9–9 in ACC conference play, finishing in a tie for 8th with Florida State, who they defeated in the second round of the ACC tournament before losing to Virginia in the quarterfinals. They received an invitation to the NIT, where they defeated Northern Kentucky in the first round and Middle Tennessee in the second round before being defeated in the quarterfinals by Mississippi State.

2017–18 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
NIT, Quarterfinals
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Record22–14 (9–9 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaKFC Yum! Center
2017–18 ACC men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 Virginia †17–1 .94431–3  .912
No. 9 Duke13–5 .72229–8  .784
No. 22 Miami (FL)11–7 .61122–10  .688
No. 20 Clemson11–7 .61125–10  .714
NC State11–7 .61121–12  .636
No. 10 North Carolina11–7 .61126–11  .703
Virginia Tech10–8 .55621–12  .636
Florida State9–9 .50023–12  .657
Louisville9–9 .50022–14  .611
Notre Dame8–10 .44421–15  .583
Syracuse8–10 .44423–14  .622
Boston College7–11 .38919–16  .543
Georgia Tech6–12 .33313–19  .406
Wake Forest4–14 .22211–20  .355
Pittsburgh0–18 .0008–24  .250
† 2018 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Following their NIT quarterfinal loss, Louisville announced that Padgett would not be retained as head coach.[3] On March 27, 2018, Xavier head coach Chris Mack was hired by Louisville.[4]

Previous season

The Cardinals finished the 2016–17 season with a record of 25–9, 12–6 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. They lost to Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament.[5] They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region.[6] They defeated #15 Jacksonville State in the First Round[7] before being upset by #7 Michigan in the Second Round.[8]

FBI investigation
Main article: 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal

On September 26, 2017, federal prosecutors in New York announced that the school was under investigation for an alleged "pay for play" scheme involving recruits at Louisville.[9][10] The allegations state that an Adidas executive conspired to pay $100,000 to the family of a top-ranked national recruit to play at Louisville and to represent Adidas when he turned pro.[9][11] The criminal complaint does not name Louisville specifically but appears to involve the recruitment of Brian Bowen, a late, surprise commit to the school.[12][13] On September 27, head coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich were placed on administrative leave.[14]

Assistant coach David Padgett was named interim head coach on September 29.[1] On October 6, the school also placed associate head coach Kenny Johnson and assistant coach Jordan Fair on administrative leave.[15] On October 11, Louisville announced that Trent Johnson, former head coach at LSU and Stanford, was hired as an assistant coach.[16] On the same day, the school announced assistant coach Jordan Fair had been fired.[17] On October 19, Louisville hired former Ohio State assistant Greg Paulus as an assistant.[18]

On October 16, 2017, the school officially fired Rick Pitino as head coach.[19][20]

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Tony Hicks1G6'1"180Graduate StudentSouth Holland, ILGraduated
Matz Stockman5F/C7'0"240JuniorOslo, NorwayTransferred to Minnesota
Jaylen Johnson10F6'9"230JuniorYpsilanti, MIDeclare for 2017 NBA draft
Jay Henderson11G6'4"180RS SophomoreOrlando, FLWalk-on; transferred
Mangok Mathiang12F/C6'10"230RS SeniorMelbourne, AustraliaGraduated/Went undrafted in 2017 NBA draft
Tyler Sharpe15G6'1"185FreshmanLouisville, KYWalk-on; transferred to Northern Kentucky
David Levitch23F6'3"180SeniorGoshen, KYGraduated
Donovan Mitchell45G6'3"200SophomoreGreenwich, CTDeclare for 2017 NBA draft

Incoming transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Steven Enoch23C6'10"250JuniorNorwalk, CTTransferred from Connecticut. Under NCAA transfer rules, Enoch will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

2017 recruiting class
Louisville recruit Brian Bowen at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Brian Bowen
SF		 Saginaw, MI La Lumiere School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jun 3, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Malik Williams
C		 Fort Wayne, IN Snider High School 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Aug 4, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Darius Perry
PG		 Marietta, GA Wheeler High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Aug 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Jordan Nwora
SF		 Buffalo, NY Vermont Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Oct 19, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Lance Thomas
PF		 Norcross, GA Norcross High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 30, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Louisville Commitments". Rivals.com.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com.
  • "ESPN- Louisville Cardinals Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

On September 27, 2017, the school suspended Brian Bowen from the team due to the ongoing FBI investigation.[21] On October 1, it was reported that Bowen had hired an attorney to seek reinstatement to the team.[22][23][24]

2017–18 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 0 V. J. King 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoPaul VI Cleveland, Ohio
F 1 Lance Thomas 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrNorcross Norcross, Georgia
G 2 Darius Perry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg) FrWheeler Marietta, Georgia
G 3 Jo Griffin (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)175 lb (79 kg) FrSouth Oldham LaGrange, Kentucky
G 4 Quentin Snider 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)175 lb (79 kg) SrBallard Louisville, Kentucky
F/C 5 Malik Williams 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)215 lb (98 kg) FrSnider Fort Wayne, Indiana
G 12 Jacob Redding (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)165 lb (75 kg) FrCarroll Fort Wayne, Indiana
F 13 Ray Spalding 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)215 lb (98 kg) JrTrinity Louisville, Kentucky
F 14 Anas Mahmoud 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)215 lb (98 kg) SrWest Oaks (FL) Cairo, Egypt
F 22 Deng Adel 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg) JrVictory Rock Prep Melbourne, Australia
C 23 Steven Enoch Current redshirt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)250 lb (113 kg) JrSt. Thomas More
Connecticut		 Norwalk, Connecticut
F 24 Dwayne Sutton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS SoduPont Manuel
UNC Asheville		 Louisville, Kentucky
G 30 Ryan McMahon 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)170 lb (77 kg) RS SoCardinal Mooney Sarasota, Florida
F 33 Jordan Nwora 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)215 lb (98 kg) FrVermont Academy Buffalo, New York
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 30, 2017*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra		 Kentucky Wesleyan W 101–64  –
  20 – Mahmoud  7 – Tied  5 – Snider  KFC Yum! Center (14,818)
Louisville, KY
Nov 7, 2017*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra		 No. 16 Bellarmine W 72–57 
 21 – Adel  11 – Mahmoud  6 – Snider  KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
Non-conference regular season
Nov 12, 2017*
2:00 pm, RSN		 No. 16 George Mason W 72–61  1–0
  20 – Adel  9 – Mahmoud  3 – 3 tied  KFC Yum! Center (18,304)
Louisville, KY
Nov 17, 2017*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra		 No. 18 Omaha W 87–78  2–0
  21 – Adel  11 – Spalding  4 – Tied  KFC Yum! Center (18,112)
Louisville, KY
Nov 21, 2017*
7:00 pm, RSN		 No. 19 Southern Illinois W 84–42  3–0
  18 – Nwora  8 – Nwora  7 – Perry  KFC Yum! Center (18,046)
Louisville, KY
Nov 24, 2017*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra		 No. 19 Saint Francis (PA) W 84–72  4–0
  19 – Spalding  13 – Spalding  6 – Snider  KFC Yum! Center (17,524)
Louisville, KY
Nov 28, 2017*
8:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 17 at Purdue
ACC–Big Ten Challenge		 L 57–66  4–1
  17 – King  9 – Spalding  6 – Snider  Mackey Arena (14,804)
West Lafayette, IN
Dec 3, 2017*
4:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 17 Seton Hall
Billy Minardi Classic		 L 77–79  4–2
  20 – Adel  8 – Spalding  2 – Tied  KFC Yum! Center (19,244)
Louisville, KY
Dec 6, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPNU		 Siena
Gotham Classic		 W 86–60  5–2
  17 – Mahmoud  13 – Mahmoud  5 – Adel  KFC Yum! Center (22,090)
Louisville, KY
Dec 9, 2017*
2:00 pm, ESPN		 Indiana W 71–62  6–2
  16 – Adel  14 – Spalding  5 – Snider  KFC Yum! Center (20,030)
Louisville, KY
Dec 11, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPNU		 Bryant
Gotham Classic		 W 102–59  7–2
  17 – 3 tied  9 – Tied  4 – Tied  KFC Yum! Center (16,236)
Louisville, KY
Dec 16, 2017*
12:00 pm, ESPN2		 vs. Memphis
Gotham Classic/Rivalry		 W 81–72  8–2
  19 – Snider  9 – Spalding  5 – Snider  Madison Square Garden (6,525)
New York, NY
Dec 20, 2017*
9:00 pm, ESPNU		 Albany
Gotham Classic		 W 70–68  9–2
  19 – Snider  9 – Sutton  4 – Snider  KFC Yum! Center (16,388)
Louisville, KY
Dec 23, 2017*
1:00 pm, ACCN Extra		 Grand Canyon W 74–56  10–2
  21 – Spalding  16 – Spalding  5 – Snider  KFC Yum! Center (16,841)
Louisville, KY
Dec 29, 2017*
1:00 pm, CBS		 at No. 16 Kentucky
The Battle for the Bluegrass		 L 61–90  10–3
  13 – Adel  11 – Spalding  4 – Snider  Rupp Arena (24,228)
Lexington, KY
ACC regular season
Jan 2, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPNU		 Pittsburgh W 77–51  11–3
(1–0)		  19 – Snider  8 – Sutton  4 – Snider  KFC Yum! Center (16,461)
Louisville, KY
Jan 6, 2018
9:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE-TV		 at No. 25 Clemson L 69–74 OT 11–4
(1–1)		  16 – Spalding  14 – Spalding  5 – Snider  Littlejohn Coliseum (7,594)
Clemson, SC
Jan 10, 2018
7:00 pm, RSN		 at No. 23 Florida State W 73–69  12–4
(2–1)		  16 – Adel  6 – 3 tied  6 – Snider  Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (10,604)
Tallahassee, FL
Jan 13, 2018
4:00 pm, ESPN2		 Virginia Tech W 94–86  13–4
(3–1)		  27 – Adel  11 – Adel  3 – 3 tied  KFC Yum! Center (16,798)
Louisville, KY
Jan 16, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2		 at Notre Dame W 82–78 2OT 14–4
(4–1)		  23 – Spalding  12 – Spalding  7 – Snider  Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,076)
South Bend, IN
Jan 21, 2018
12:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE-TV		 Boston College W 77–69  15–4
(5–1)		  18 – Adel  11 – Spalding  5 – Adel  KFC Yum! Center (16,827)
Louisville, KY
Jan 24, 2018
7:30 pm, ESPN2		 at Miami (FL) L 75–78 OT 15–5
(5–2)		  18 – Snider  13 – Spalding  3 – Snider  Watsco Center (7,190)
Coral Gables, FL
Jan 27, 2018
8:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE-TV		 Wake Forest W 96–77  16–5
(6–2)		  15 – Tied  5 – Tied  4 – Tied  KFC Yum! Center (17,215)
Louisville, KY
Jan 31, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2		 at No. 2 Virginia L 64–74  16–6
(6–3)		  16 – Spalding  7 – Spalding  2 – 3 tied  John Paul Jones Arena (14,310)
Charlottesville, VA
Feb 3, 2018
4:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE-TV		 Florida State L 76–80  16–7
(6–4)		  17 – Adel  9 – Spalding  7 – Snider  KFC Yum! Center (18,305)
Louisville, KY
Feb 5, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN		 Syracuse L 73–78  16–8
(6–5)		  18 – Spalding  9 – Spalding  5 – Adel  KFC Yum! Center (16,983)
Louisville, KY
Feb 8, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2		 Georgia Tech W 77–54  17–8
(7–5)		  16 – Nwora  7 – Mahmoud  7 – Snider  KFC Yum! Center (16,533)
Louisville, KY
Feb 11, 2018
1:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE-TV		 at Pittsburgh W 94–60  18–8
(8–5)		  14 – 3 tied  6 – 3 tied  7 – Perry  Petersen Events Center (4,772)
Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 17, 2018
8:15 pm, ESPN		 No. 14 North Carolina L 76–93  18–9
(8–6)		  20 – Adel  12 – Spalding  6 – Adel  KFC Yum! Center (21,210)
Louisville, KY
Feb 21, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN		 at No. 5 Duke L 56–82  18–10
(8–7)		  17 – Spalding  10 – Spalding  4 – Snider  Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Feb 24, 2018
1:00 pm, CBS		 at Virginia Tech W 75–68  19–10
(9–7)		  22 – Snider  11 – Sutton  8 – Adel  Cassell Coliseum (9,275)
Blacksburg, VA
Mar 1, 2018
8:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE-TV		 No. 1 Virginia L 66–67  19–11
(9–8)		  18 – Adel  9 – Spalding  4 – Adel  KFC Yum! Center (19,413)
Louisville, KY
Mar 3, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN		 at NC State L 69–76  19–12
(9–9)		  20 – Adel  7 – Tied  6 – Snider  PNC Arena (18,975)
Raleigh, NC
ACC Tournament
Mar 7, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPN2		 (9) vs. (8) Florida State
Second Round		 W 82–74  20–12
  19 – Snider  8 – Adel  6 – Snider  Barclays Center (17,732)
Brooklyn, NY
Mar 8, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPN		 (9) vs. (1) No. 1 Virginia
Quarterfinals		 L 58–75  20–13
  16 – Spalding  6 – Spalding  3 – Tied  Barclays Center (17,732)
Brooklyn, NY
NIT
Mar 13, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN		 (2) (7) Northern Kentucky
First Round – Baylor Bracket		 W 66–58  21–13
  20 – Adel  13 – Spalding  3 – Tied  KFC Yum! Center (9,974)
Louisville, KY
Mar 18, 2018*
6:30 pm, ESPN2		 (2) (3) Middle Tennessee
Second Round – Baylor Bracket		 W 84–68  22–13
  18 – Spalding  6 – King  8 – Snider  KFC Yum! Center (13,050)
Louisville, KY
Mar 20, 2018*
9:00 pm, ESPN		 (2) (4) Mississippi State
Quarterfinals – Baylor Bracket		 L 56–79  22–14
  13 – Spalding  11 – Spalding  3 – Adel  KFC Yum! Center (10,718)
Louisville, KY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest Region.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings
See also: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP16181917RVRVRVRVRV——RVRVRV—RVNot released
Coaches16161817RVRVRVRVRVRV——RVRVRVRV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References
  1. "With Rick Pitino on leave, assistant David Padgett to be Louisville interim head coach". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  2. "Locked out of Rick Pitino's office, David Padgett is trying to lock in at Louisville". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  3. Daniels, Evan (March 21, 2018). "David Padgett, Louisville part ways". 247sports.com. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  4. Greer, Jeff (March 27, 2018). "Louisville hires Chris Mack as new men's basketball coach". Courier Journal. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  5. "Duke vs. Louisville - Game Recap - March 9, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  6. "U of L gets No. 2 seed in Midwest Region". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  7. "Louisville downs Jacksonville State in the NCAA Tournament: Score, stats, live updates recap". OregonLive.com. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  8. "Michigan keeps NCAA tournament run going with upset of No. 2 Louisville". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  9. "University of Louisville college basketball program targeted in FBI investigation". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  10. "College basketball bribery scandal exposes "dark underbelly" of NCAA, prosecutor says". NBC News. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  11. "University of Louisville college basketball program targeted in FBI investigation". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  12. "University of Louisville scandal: Brian Bowen's mom says she 'didn't know anything'". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  13. "Louisville basketball has an FBI investigation to worry about while still on NCAA probation". SBNation.com. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  14. "Louisville's Pitino and Jurich placed on leave". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  15. "Louisville suspends two assistants amid inquiry". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  16. "David Padgett hires ex-head coach Trent Johnson as assistant". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  17. "Louisville announces men's basketball assistant Jordan Fair fired without cause". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  18. "Louisville interim coach Padgett adds Paulus as an assistant". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  19. "Louisville coach Rick Pitino officially fired". SI.com. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  20. "Rick Pitino Fired As Louisville Basketball Coach Amid Massive Bribery Probe". NPR.org. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  21. "Sources: Cardinals suspend Bowen indefinitely". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  22. "Louisville basketball's Brian Bowen hires attorney to seek reinstatement, remains on campus". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  23. "Louisville's Brian Bowen hires attorney, seeks reinstatement from NCAA". MLive.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  24. "Report: Louisville recruit Bowen hires attorney". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
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