2001–02 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

2001–02 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
ConferenceConference USA
Record19–13 (8–8 CUSA)
Head coach
Home arenaFreedom Hall
Seasons
2001–02 Conference USA men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
American
No. 5 Cincinnati † 14 – 2   .875 31 – 4   .886
No. 12 Marquette 13 – 3   .813 26 – 7   .788
Charlotte 11 – 5   .688 18 – 12   .600
Saint Louis 9 – 7   .563 15 – 16   .484
Louisville 8 – 8   .500 19 – 13   .594
East Carolina 5 – 11   .313 12 – 18   .400
DePaul 2 – 14   .125 9 – 19   .321
National
Memphis 12 – 4   .750 27 – 9   .750
Houston 9 – 7   .563 18 – 15   .545
South Florida 8 – 8   .500 19 – 13   .594
TCU 6 – 10   .375 16 – 15   .516
UAB 6 – 10   .375 13 – 17   .433
Tulane 5 – 11   .313 14 – 15   .483
Southern Miss 4 – 12   .250 10 – 17   .370
† 2002 Conference USA Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

The 2001–02 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville in the 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the 88th season of interleague play for the Cardinals. The head coach was Rick Pitino[2] and the team finished the season with an overall record of 19–13.[3] Their longest winning streak was an 8-game streak and the Cardinals never lost more than 3 games in a row.[3]

This was Pitino's first season as Louisville's head coach. Pitino replaced Denny Crum at the end of the 2000–01 season[4] and he made his coaching debut for the Cardinals on October 31, 2001, in an exhibition match against EA Sports with an 81–63 victory.

Preseason

September 11 attacks

During the September 11 attacks, Pitino lost Bill Minardi, his brother-in-law, who was working on the 105th floor of the North Tower for Cantor Fitzgerald on the morning of the attacks.[5]

EA Sports Exhibition

On October 31, 2001, Louisville played the EA Sports All-Stars in an exhibition game at Freedom Hall. The Cardinals won 81-63 and this was the debut for new head coach Rick Pitino.[6]

Regular season

The Cardinals finished the regular season with a record of 17–11, including an 8–8 conference record and appearances in two tournaments.[3] Their longest winning streak included an eight-game winning streak and their longest losing streak was a three-game losing streak.[3]

Postseason and Tournaments

During the postseason, the Cardinals played in the Conference USA tournament and the National Invitation Tournament.[3]

In the CUSA tournament, the Cardinals defeated Texas Christian 110–86 on March 5, 2002, but were defeated by Marquette the next day with a score of 84–76.[3]

On March 12, the team starts the NIT Tournament by defeating Princeton 66–65, but were defeated by Temple 65-62 a week later, finishing the Cardinal's season with an overall record of 19–13.[3] Their game against Princeton was won by a banked jumper by Reece Gaines with 5.3 seconds left in the game.[7]

References

  1. ^ sports-reference.com 2001-02 Conference USA Season Summary
  2. ^ "2001-2002 Louisville Cardinals Roster and Stats". Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "2001-2002 Louisville Cardinals Schedule and Results". Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  4. ^ "Pitino Visits U of L Campus". Louisville Cardinals. March 14, 2001. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  5. ^ "Pitino Working Again After Losing Brother-In-Law In Attacks". Louisville Cardinals. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  6. ^ "Pitino Makes Louisville Coaching Debut". Louisville Cardinals. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  7. ^ "Late Jumper By Louisville Beats Princeton in N.I.T". New York Times Online. March 13, 2002. Retrieved February 4, 2014.