By Mitch Streufert
With the countdown to tipoff winding down, fans are beginning to get excited about this season of University of Louisville basketball. But the reigning Big East regular season and conference champions will be facing two extremely difficult obstacles this season. As last year’s No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, they must face every opponent knowing that people are out to defeat them. In addition, they must face this challenge without their two leading scorers, in Terrence Williams and Earl Clark.
“It’s going to be tough for us to accomplish what we did last year,” said junior finance and accounting major Russell Maddox. “But I really think our depth all around will transform into a lot of victories.”
The 2009-2010 Cardinal team has a lot of unanswered questions for fans. How will sophomore forward Jared Swopshire and sophomore guard Kyle Kuric perform in their larger roles, under the spotlight of Freedom Hall? How will wild-card senior guard Reginald Delk contribute? The bigger question lies in whether senior co-captain guards Jerry Smith and Edgar Sosa will rise to the occasion when their team needs it most.
“Only time will tell,” said freshman bioengineering major Matt Venard. “Pitino’s teams tend to start off slow, so I’m confident in his abilities to transform our young players into game-changing performers.”
Propelling the Cardinals to a national championship will not lie entirely in Pitino’s hands. During the last season in Freedom Hall, the crowd will play a pivotal role in motivating the Cards to win. The student section will inevitably lead the fans in Freedom Hall.
“I’ve heard stories about the student section,” said freshman accounting major Matt Ryan. “And I will do my best to continue the tradition of wild and crazy in Freedom Hall. This season is going to be special to me, because it’s my first year here in Louisville. And I don’t want to waste my time here. I’m going to have as much fun as possible.”
For some students, the expectations of an exciting season, paired with the final year in Freedom Hall, will be just another set of memories to add to the many already made in the historic building.
“This season is going to hold a special place in my heart,” Maddox said. “This is the Cardinals’ last season in Freedom Hall. And I really hope we can send her off on a high note. So I’m thinking the students will really come together this season, and do their best to give Freedom Hall the send-off it deserves.”
One strategy to bring the student section together this season is the infamous red and yellow Cardinal Chomp T-shirts. The shirts were given to all student season ticket holders, and have had mixed reviews around campus.
“They’re disgusting in my opinion,” said Ryan. “If anyone wears them, I’ll be pretty surprised.”
Though the general look isn’t pleasing to many students, not everyone entirely dislikes the idea of the Cardinal Chomp shirts.
“I think it was a good idea by whoever came up with it,” said Maddox. “The way I look at it, the Cardinal Chomp shirt isn’t going to determine the outcome of the season, so I really don’t care.”
After such a successful run through the NCAA tournament last season, fans are just as excited about the start of the women’s basketball season.
“I think the women’s basketball team will be good this year,” said sophomore psychology major Xerces Simpson. “They are young, but they have a lot of good talent and potential.”
Overall, fans are excited about the start of Cardinal basketball. With new faces and high expectations, fans are ready for the season to officially start.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how Peyton Siva contributes to the team, offensively and defensively,” said Maddox. “Overall, I think we will have a team contending for a Final Four birth.”
