Louisville 2007 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Louisville Cardinals - Big East (23-9, 12-4)

Seed: #6 - South Region

Big Wins: 1/27 Syracuse (76-71), 2/12 at Pittsburgh (66-53), 2/17 at Marquette (61-59)

Bad Losses: 11/24 at Dayton (64-68), 12/13 Massachusetts (68-72), 1/3 at Notre Dame (62-78)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2005, Final Four loss to Illinois

Coach: Rick Pitino (31-10 in 11 NCAA appearances)

Probable Louisville Starters:

• Edgar Sosa, Freshman, Guard, 10.7 ppg, 2.7 apg

• Brandon Jenkins, Senior, Guard, 5.2 ppg, 1.8 apg

• Earl Clark, Freshman, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg

• Terrence Williams, Sophomore, Forward, 12.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.9 apg

• David Padgett, Junior, Center, 9.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.5 bpg

Key Roleplayers for Louisville:

• Jerry Smith, Freshman, Guard, 8.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg

• Andre McGee, Sophomore, Guard, 2.8 ppg, 1.3 apg

• Will Scott, Sophomore, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg

• Juan Palacios, Junior, Forward 9.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg

• Derrick Caracter, Freshman, Forward, 7.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:
It does not always look pretty, but Louisville gets the job done. The zone defense can be suffocating and the Cardinals have a tendency to create scoring droughts for the opposition. The zone also protects big man David Padgett from getting into foul trouble. And Louisville needs the 6-11 center on the floor. Padgett averages 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest and is a force under the basket on both sides of the floor. Padgett’s frontcourt mate, Juan Palacios, has the ability to take over a game if he can put his injuries behind him. However, Palacios has missed the last five games with back spasms and his status is day to day.

The Cardinals have some quality depth with players like pure scorer Jerry Smith, oft-injured Andre McGee, 6-8 combo guard Earl Clark and three-point specialist Will Scott coming off the bench. While the depth is relatively inexperienced, for a team that commits over 20 fouls a game,it is nice to have.

Why Louisville Can Disappoint:
Louisville does not have a go-to-scorer. Terrence Williams leads the team with 12.7 points per contest and also adds a team high 7.2 boards per contest. However, Williams can disappear for games at a time and has gone through his fair share of scoring woes during his sophomore campaign. He will force up way too many three’s and barely hits a quarter of his attempts. He’s not the only player with shooting woes as the team as a whole shoots just 43.2% from the floor.

Find Louisville apparel & clothing and Louisville Cardinals Fatheads online through College Sports Fans!

Who To Watch:
Freshman Edgar Sosa and Senior Brandon Jenkins anchor the backcourt. Sosa is a pure point guard who can make the magnificent pass. While not known for his scoring prowess, he averages nearly 11 points per game and will use his quickness to get to the basket. Jenkins is a pest on the defensive end and has to provide the senior leadership to the young backcourt.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 71.4 (121st in nation, 8th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 62.9 (52, 5)

Field-Goal Percentage: 43.2 (207, 10)

Field-Goal Defense: 40.1 (24, 4)

Free-Throw Percentage: 67.1 (219, 10)

Rebound Margin: 2.3 (91, 9)

Assists Per Game: 14.9 (74, 5)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (51, 6)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Sweet Sixteen loss to Nevada

> Check out the 2008 Louisville NCAA Tournament preview from College Sports Fans.

> Find more coverage of the 2007 NCAA Tournament online from College Sports Fans.

NCAA Tournament Home & Historical Results

2008 NCAA Tournament | 2008 NIT Tournament | 2008 CBI Tournament | 2008 Women's NCAA Tournament

2009 NCAA Tournament Sites | 2010 NCAA Tournament Sites | 2011 NCAA Tournament Sites

2007 NCAA Tournament