By Dalton Ray–

Earlier this year, The Cardinal released U of L Athletics’ five best moments of 2015. In that article, the second half included five questions for 2016. As July begins, nearly all of the questions have been answered.

What will the NCAA find out in their investigation of the men’s basketball team?

This was, and still is, the most pressing question Louisville Athletics has faced in recent memory. Katina Powell began the scandal after she accused U of L of paying for strippers and prostitutes for men’s basketball recruits from 2010-2014. President James Ramsey said it was “reasonable to conclude that the violations had occurred in men’s basketball program in the past” during a winter press conference, self-imposing a post-season ban on the team.

The NCAA could look at the self-imposed sanctions and think that is enough. They could suspend coach Rick Pitino in a similar way to Syracuse’s coach Jim Boeheim, who was suspended for nine games to start the 2015-2016 year. Whichever way it goes, it’s still not fully in the university’s rearview mirror.

Will the women’s basketball team be able to bounce back in ACC play?

The short answer to this question is yes. Coach Jeff Walz turned his team around after a rough start of 3-5.

U of L beat five lower-tier teams to regain confidence after a loss to Kentucky. Louisville started 2016 with a bang by defeating no. 13 Florida State at home. Over the remaining 15 games, the Cardinals recorded road victories against Syracuse, NC State, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and no. 17 Miami. Home wins included no. 16 Duke and no. 19 South Florida.

The single loss in the second half of the season was against third-ranked Notre Dame. U of L finished the regular season with an overall record of 26-6 and a 15-1 conference record.

What will the 2016 football team look like?

After Louisville defeated Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl, many were expected multiple offseason departures from both coaches and players.

Would lead coordinators Garrick McGee and Todd Grantham leave for other jobs? Will the defense lose any of the five draft-eligible players? Will Jawon Pass stay committed with the emergence of Lamar Jackson? All of these questions were answered within ten weeks after the season.

The best news U of L Football got this offseason was the return of juniors Keith Kelsey, Devante Fields, Josh Harvey-Clemons, Shaq Wiggins and Deangelo Brown. All five were draft eligible but decided to return.

Offensive coordinator McGee left to join Lovie Smith at Illinois while Grantham chose to stay at Louisville. Bobby Petrino hired Langston Galloway away from West Virginia and made him a co-offensive coordinator with Chris Klenakis.

Pass also held true to his commitment and is participating in summer practices.

Can the softball team make the next step in the ACC?

Coach Sandy Pearsall’s 2016 team turned some heads in the ACC by finishing second in the conference behind Florida State.

After a mixed start to the year, Louisville began stringing wins together in the middle of the year and started to put themselves in position to strike in the ACC. The Cardinals pulled out series wins over Virginia, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. U of L dropped close games to Notre Dame, no. 5 Florida State and no. 18 Kentucky.

Louisville finished the regular season with a 34-14 overall record and a 14-7 conference record, earning them a second seed in the conference tournament. After beating Syracuse in the first round, U of L lost to Notre Dame by losing 4-2. The team loses talented players Hailey Smith and Brittany Sims but they bring back a lot of power for 2017.

Can the men’s baseball team finally get over the hump?

Quick answer: no. Louisville started the season as the number-two team in the country, and began the NCAA tournament as the number-two overall seed. This was the year for Louisville – one of the deepest pitching rotations in the nation, a loaded offensive line-up, combined with a stingy defense.

There was no excuse this team didn’t get to the College World Series, yet, they fell at home in the Super Regionals for the second straight year. Coach Dan McDonnell now has to regroup his team after losing six players to the MLB Draft.

File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal