Louisville Cardinals: No Russdiculousness, No Problem

In the weeks and months leading up to the start of practices in October, we’ll take a look at some of the biggest teams, players and stories for the 2014-15 NCAA college basketball season. Each team has one burning question we’ll take a look at.

He’s gone and he’s never coming back. For all the antics, the headaches and the forced shots, Russ Smith brought a lot to the table for the Louisville Cardinals during his four years there. Three Sweet 16s, two Final Fours and a national championship later, Smith has moved on to the NBA, where he will hope to dazzle yet again.

Things could’ve easily been worse for Louisville than the loss of Russdiculousness, and it looked possible the Cardinals’ fortunes were headed that way. They had already lost Chane Behannan during the season because he couldn’t keep his nose clean, but it turned out they didn’t need him to be successful. Louisville still had a great season and a Sweet 16 appearance in them. Losing Smith, however, was a decent sized blow. Losing Smith and Montrezl Harrell in the same summer could’ve been enough to hit the reset button on the Cardinals.

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Fortunately for Rick Pitino and the Cardinals, after flirting with joining the 2014 NBA Draft, Harrell decided to return to school for his junior year, a decision that puzzled some but elated others. Those puzzled by the decision were the NBA fans and scouts, wondering why he would risk taking a hit in his draft stock to return to school. Those elated by it were Louisville fans and college basketball appreciators. Seeing how Harrell has grown as a player in his two years has been remarkable, but now we get to see what he can do when it’s his team.

Harrell, a top candidate for preseason first team All-America, returns as the team’s top leading scorer from last year where he finished second on the team with 14 points per game. He also led the team in rebounding (8.4) and was second in blocked shots (1.3) per game. With is return, the Cardinals have their go-to player, a dominant presence in the paint offensively and defensively and someone who’s been to the top of the mountain in college basketball. Harrell will be heavily relied upon this year.

There is some pressure for Harrell to become a megastar, though. Louisville finished last season eighth in the country in points per game (82.1 per game), but 30.5 of those points last year are not gone with the departures of Smith and Luke Hancock. In order to make the season a successful one, Harrell is going to need some help. He has the talent to be the star, but he can’t do it alone.

Mar 28, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino reacts in the first half in the semifinals of the midwest regional of the 2014 NCAA Mens Basketball Championship tournament against the Kentucky Wildcats at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

One player that should help ease the pressure on Harrell is Chris Jones, the returning point guard from last year’s squad. Jones finished the 2013-14 campaign with averages of 10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists. All three of those stats will have to increase and the assists will likely need to double, maybe even triple for him to have an impact as the floor general. Smith led the team with 4.6 assists last year, proving that labeling him as “just a scorer” was a mistake. Jones will have to do the same this year.

Wayne Blackshear will also need to have an impact this season. His overall stat line has improved every year at Louisville, and he’s been a big piece to their success the last three seasons, but this one could be just as important. Blackshear and Jones will be the only two seniors on the floor for the Cardinals this season. That puts the leadership onto them. Together, they must bring the team to be a unit.

Other notable names from last year’s team include sophomore guard Terry Rozier, who could potentially be a starter alongside Jones in the backcourt. Rozier averaged seven points, shot 37 percent from three and started 10 games for the Cardinals last season.

Potentially rounding out the starting five would be Mangok Mathiang, who started 14 games last season and led the team in blocks with 1.4 per game. At 6’10”, Mathiang and Harrell present a dual defensive threat with length and athleticism. Expect both Rozier and Mathiang to get significant minutes even if they don’t start.

A few players that could keep Mathiang and Rozier out of the starting lineup are the in-coming freshman. Louisville brought in five four-star recruits (according to ESPN Recruiting Nation). Leading the recruiting class is 6’7″ small forward Shaqquan Aaron. Aaron has the body type to grow into, but could be that spark the Cardinals need in the lineup. Quentin Snider, a Louisville native, comes in as a 6’1″ point guard who will be the future of the position after this season. A good ball handler and passer, Snider will be ready for the call should Rozier and Jones struggle in their more expanded roles this season.

Louisville has, once again, moved conferences. After spending last season in the AAC, the Cardinals find themselves in perhaps the most brutal top-heavy conference in the country, the ACC. With Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Syracuse already at the top, and with teams such as Pittsburgh and N.C. State always lurking around, there’s not a lot of downtime in conference play. Every game serves a purpose in the conference.

Mar 22, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Chris Jones (3) drives to the basket against the Saint Louis Billikens in the first half of a men /

As for their non-conference slate, the Cardinals have a nice mix of should-be-easy-wins and tough contests. They start the season with a battle with Pitino’s son, Rich, and Minnesota. This will be played on the U.S. Air Station in Puerto Rico on Nov. 14. Nobody ever really knows what to expect from these types of games, so while Louisville should win, a Minnesota victory would surprise very few.

Then Louisville has some interesting contests against Ohio State (home; ACC/Big Ten Challenge), Indiana (neutral; Jimmy V. Classic) and top it all off with a home contest against the Kentucky Wildcats, a rivalry game through and through and a game that should pit two top 10 teams against each other early in the season. Kentucky is a heavy favorite to win it all, but Louisville will also be looking to avenge the loss to the Wildcats last season.

Nothing is going to be easy for Louisville this year, but they should be just as dangerous as they have been the last three years. Pitino got Russ Smith to be a passing point guard, so we shouldn’t expect less than 25 wins from the Cardinals this year. Russdiculousness is gone, but his memory will live on forever. It’s just up to Harrell to help create a new verb involving his name. He has the talent to get it done.