By Whitney Spencer

After one of the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory, the University of Louisville men’s basketball team breathed a sigh of relief when they received the ninth seed in the South bracket on Selection Sunday. Following a second round exit to rival University of Cincinnati in the Big East Tournament, the Cardinals had no chance of improving their seeding for the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
After hearing the fate of 48 teams being decided before them, the Cards found out their opponent would be the eight-seeded Golden Bears of the University of California. They also found out they would be playing in Jacksonville, Fla. U of L senior co-captain guards, Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith, responded to this announcement on their Twitter pages.
“Thankful that we made the NCAA dance. Loving our bracket…Who’s coming to Jacksonville?” said Sosa via Twitter.
Smith’s response was similar: “Dancin n Florida Baby Yessssssssssssirrrrrrrrr! Four yrs straight bro.”
U of L was just one of the eight Big East teams to make it into the field of 65 this season. Louisville is joined in the tournament by Big East teams Georgetown University, Syracuse University, University of Pittsburgh, Marquette University, West Virginia University, University of Notre Dame and Villanova University.
U of L’s first round opponent, California, finished the season 23-10 overall with a 13-5 record in the Pacific-10 standings. The Bears won the regular season title, but lost by 4 points to the University of Washington in the tournament final.
“I just watched the entire California against Washington game on Saturday and I know Cal has an outstanding team with great guard play,” said U of L head coach Rick Pitino.
The Cards will have their hands full, as four of Cal’s five starters average double figures in scoring. Senior guard Jerome Randle leads the team, with 18.7 points per game, senior guard Patrick Christopher averages 16 points, senior forward Theo Robertson averages 14.1 points, and senior forward Jamal Boykin averages 12 points per game.
“They have a very quick dynamic point guard in Jerome Randle,” said ESPN’s Pat Forde. “He’s a great outside shooter, but also he can drive to the basket. Patrick Christopher is a great player for them as well.”
Experience will also be on the side of the Bears, as the Cards have struggled with their seniors all season long. Guard play will be key against Cal, as Sosa and Smith, along with freshman backup point guard Peyton Siva and junior guard Preston Knowles, will have to keep their defensive pressure up.
“If you go by Rick Pitino’s own assessment that Louisville has trouble with smaller, quicker teams, then this is a tough match-up,” said Forde. “California is not big, but is pretty quick.”
Though the Bears aren’t an extraordinary 3-point shooting team, at 37.3 percent on the season, they will hurt the Cards somewhere else – the free throw line. For the season, Cal shoots 76 percent from the line, with Randle shooting 94 percent. In all other categories, Louisville is almost evenly matched with California, in points per game, rebounds and assists.
The presence of U of L’s Smith is expected, but still in question, as an injury was to sideline him throughout the entirety of the Big East Tournament. He is still expected to return by the opening-round game on Friday, March 19.  Sosa’s play will also be closely watched throughout the tournament, as this is his final opportunity to lead this team in the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m most pleased for our seniors, including our senior co-captains who have been to four straight NCAA Tournaments, which is a great achievement,” said Pitino.
Many believe that the Cards’ up and down season leaves them as one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament. Depending on which face of the team shows up, some believe they have a chance to reach a regional final. The Cards’ chances will be based on leadership.
“It starts with Edgar Sosa,” said Forde. “I think that’s why this team has been so up and down this season, because their senior point guard is an up and down player. He’s got to play a smart basketball game…If he plays a smart game and they involve Samardo Samuels down low and don’t ignore him when he’s posting up for the ball, Louisville’s the better team and should win.”
If the Cards can pull through the first round, they will probably face the No. 1 seed in the South, the Blue Devils of Duke University. The Blue Devils were named the third overall No. 1 seed, but not without some discussion, as many believed the Orange of Syracuse deserved the higher No. 1 seed. The Blue Devils finished the season 29-5 overall with a 13-3 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Blue Devils are led by the big three: senior guard Jon Scheyer, junior forward Kyle Singler and junior guard Nolan Smith, who average 18.7, 17.5 and 17.4 points, respectively. Duke is a perimeter-oriented team that has the ability to shoot lights out from the perimeter, but still has an inside game with Singler, senior center Brian Zoubek and freshman twin forwards Miles and Mason Plumlee. Duke will first face the winner of the opening-round play-in game between Winthrop University and the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which will be played on Tuesday, March 16.
“I’d like to see a Louisville-Duke match-up, since I don’t think Pitino and Krzyzewski have played since 1992,” said Forde. “If it comes down to a Louisville-Duke match-up, I think it’s a match-up that Louisville could win.”
Besides who and where the Cards will be playing, many were wondering just where the Cards would be seeded, following their rollercoaster season, ending with a win over then-No. 1 Syracuse but a loss to a Cincinnati team that didn’t even make the NCAA Tournament. Louisville coming away with a ninth seed wasn’t as much a surprise as their Big East counterparts. Syracuse, who was a projected No. 1 seed, fell to the fourth overall No. 1 seed, following an injury to senior forward Arinze Onuaku.
The biggest shock was Notre Dame receiving the sixth seed in the South region. The Cards played Notre Dame in Freedom Hall and lost in overtime. With their overall record of 23-11, Joe Lunardi of ESPN projected Notre Dame as an eighth seed. They will face 11th-seeded Old Dominion University in the first round.
“I was shocked,” said Forde about Notre Dame’s seeding. “I thought their seeding was out of line. I expected them to get 9, 10 or 11. Out of the two or three biggest seeding irregularities I saw, Notre Dame was one of them.”
U of L is playing in what some call the easiest path to the Final Four, but for the Cards it will be one game at a time, as they have had a problem closing out games all season. If U of L doesn’t make a run in the tournament, it would end a disappointing season for the Cards, who were ranked in the preseason Top 25. The Cards will play their first game in Jacksonville, Fla. on Friday, March 19. Tipoff is set for 9:45 p.m.