2021–22 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

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2021–22 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
Louisville Cardinals wordmark.svg
Baha Mar Hoops Champions
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
2021–22 record13–19 (6–14 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaKFC Yum! Center
Seasons
← 2020–21
 →
2021–22 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 9 Duke 16 – 4   .800 28 – 6   .824
North Carolina 15 – 5   .750 24 – 9   .727
Notre Dame 15 – 5   .750 22 – 10   .688
Miami (FL) 14 – 6   .700 23 – 10   .697
Wake Forest 13 – 7   .650 23 – 9   .719
Virginia 12 – 8   .600 19 – 13   .594
Virginia Tech † 11 – 9   .550 23 – 12   .657
Florida State 10 – 10   .500 17 – 14   .548
Syracuse 9 – 11   .450 16 – 17   .485
Clemson 8 – 12   .400 17 – 16   .515
Louisville 6 – 14   .300 13 – 19   .406
Boston College 6 – 14   .300 13 – 20   .394
Pittsburgh 6 – 14   .300 11 – 21   .344
Georgia Tech 5 – 15   .250 12 – 20   .375
NC State 4 – 16   .200 11 – 21   .344
† 2022 ACC Tournament winner
As of March 12, 2022; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021–22 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, Kentucky as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were led by interim head coach Mike Pegues.

Previous season[]

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Cardinals finished the season 13–7, 8–5 to finish in seventh place in ACC play. They lost to Duke in the second round of the ACC Tournament. They were listed as an alternate team for the NCAA Tournamentshould a team be unable to participate due to COVID-19 issues.[1] The team declined an invitation to the NIT prior to the NCAA Tournament field being announced.[2][3] When all teams were able to participate in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament, the Cardinals season ended.[4]

Offseason[]

Suspension of Chris Mack[]

On August 27, 2021, the school announced that head coach Chris Mack would be suspended for the first six games of the season due to his part in an attempt by former assistant Dino Gaudio to blackmail Mack.[5] Gaudio, who was a longtime assistant to Mack and whom Mack had let go following the completion of the 2020–21 season, had attempted to blackmail Mack with allegations of relatively minor misconduct by Mack and the team in violation of NCAA rules.[6] The school said that Mack was being suspended for failing to follow university guidelines regarding the matter.[7] Gaudio pled guilty to extortion for his actions in the matter.[6]

Departures[]

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Carlik Jones 1 G 6'1" 185 GS Senior Cincinnati, OH Graduated/undrafted in 2021 NBA draft
Hogan Orbaugh 3 C 6'8" 235 Sophomore Zionsville, IN Walk-on; didn't return
Quinn Slazinski 11 F 6'8" 215 Sophomore Houston, TX Transferred to Iona
David Johnson 13 G 6'5" 210 Sophomore Louisville, KY Declared for 2021 NBA draft
Josh Nickelberry 20 G 6'4" 205 Sophomore Fayetteville, NC Transferred to La Salle
Charles Minlend 21 G 6'4" 220 GS Senior Concord, NC Left the team due to personal reasons
Aidan Igiehon 22 F 6'10" 245 Sophomore Dublin, Ireland Transferred to Grand Canyon

Incoming transfers[]

Incoming Transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Noah Locke 0 G 6'3" 205 Senior Baltimore, MD Florida
El Ellis 3 G 6'3" 175 Junior Durham, NC Tallahassee CC
Mason Faulkner 11 G 6'1" 190 Graduate Student Glasgow, KY Western Carolina
Jarrod West 13 G 5'11" 180 Graduate Student Clarksburg, WV Marshall
Sydney Curry 23 F 6'8" 260 Junior Fort Wayne, IN John A. Logan College
Matt Cross 33 F 6'7" 225 Sophomore Beverly, MA Miami (FL)

2021 recruiting class[]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Mike James
#18 SF 		Orlando, FL Oak Ridge High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sep 9, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
Roosevelt Wheeler
#13 C 		Richmond, VA John Marshall High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Nov 16, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2021 Louisville Commitments". Rivals.com.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com.
  • "ESPN- Louisville Cardinals Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2022 recruiting class[]

Roster[]

2021–22 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Noah Locke 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr McDonogh School
Florida 		Baltimore, MD
G/F 1 Mike James 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Oak Ridge Orlando, FL
F 2 Sam Bearden (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Holy Cross Louisville, KY
G 3 El Ellis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Quality Education Academy
Tallahassee CC 		Durham, NC
F/C 4 Roosevelt Wheeler 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr John Marshall Richmond, VA
F/C 5 Malik Williams 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) GS Snider Fort Wayne, IN
F 10 Samuell Williamson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Rockwall Rockwall, TX
G 11 Mason Faulkner 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Carvena
Western Carolina 		Glasgow, KY
F 12 JJ Traynor 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Bardstown Bardstown, KY
G 13 Jarrod West 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Notre Dame
Marshall 		Clarksburg, WV
G/F 14 Dre Davis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Lawrence Central Indianapolis, IN
F 15 Drew Schultz (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Rockwall Rockwall, TX
F 21 Sydney Curry 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Jr Northrop
John A. Logan College 		Fort Wayne, IN
C 23 Gabe Wiznitzer 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Hargrave Military Academy Walhalla, SC
F 24 Jae'Lyn Withers 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS So Cleveland Heights Charlotte, NC
G 30 Ashton Myles-Devore (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Woodford County Versailles, KY
F 33 Matt Cross 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Brewster Academy
Miami (FL) 		Beverly, MA
G 45 Brad Colbert (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So International Sports Academy Loveland, OH
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results[]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 29, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Kentucky State W 94–45  –
  15 – Locke   15 – Withers   4 – West  KFC Yum! Center (13,023)
Louisville, KY
November 3, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		West Georgia W 103–51  –
  15 – Tied   8 –  Withers   5 – Tied  KFC Yum! Center (12,477)
Louisville, KY
Regular season
November 9, 2021*
9:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		Southern W 72–60  1–0
  16 – Locke   14 – Williamson   5 – West  KFC Yum! Center (12,643)
Louisville, KY
November 12, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Furman L 72–80 OT 1–1
  20 – Locke   10 – Williams   7 – Faulkner  KFC Yum! Center (12,431)
Louisville, KY
November 15, 2021*
8:00 p.m., ACCN 		Navy W 77–60  2–1
  14 – Cross   5 – Williams   5 – Tied  KFC Yum! Center (12,223)
Louisville, KY
November 20, 2021*
2:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Detroit Mercy
Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship campus game 		W 73–67  3–1
  18 – Davis   9 – Tied   3 – Williams  KFC Yum! Center (12,561)
Louisville, KY
November 25, 2021*
9:30 p.m., CBSSN 		vs. Mississippi State
Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship semifinals 		W 72–58  4–1
  15 – Williamson   10 – Williams   3 – West  Baha Mar Convention Center (0)
Nassau, Bahamas
November 27, 2021*
10:00 a.m., CBSSN 		vs. Maryland
Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship 		W 63–55  5–1
  13 – Williams   12 – Williams   6 – West  Baha Mar Convention Center (0)
Nassau, Bahamas
December 1, 2021*
7:15 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 22 Michigan State
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		L 64–73  5–2
  22 – Ellis   8 – Williams   3 – Tied  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
December 4, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at NC State W 73–68  6–2
(1–0) 		 14 – Williams   12 – Williams   6 – West  PNC Arena (13,092)
Raleigh, NC
December 10, 2021*
8:00 p.m., ACCN 		DePaul L 55–62  6–3
  22 – Williams   8 – Tied   4 – Davis  KFC Yum! Center (13,127)
Louisville, KY
December 14, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ACCN 		Southeastern Louisiana W 86–60  7–3
  15 – Williams   10 – Williams   5 – West  KFC Yum! Center (12,247)
Louisville, KY
December 18, 2021*
3:00 p.m., CBS 		at Western Kentucky L 72–82  7–4
  20 – Locke   6 – Withers   4 – West  E. A. Diddle Arena (7,053)
Bowling Green, KY
December 22, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 20 Kentucky
Rivalry 		Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[8] Rupp Arena 
Lexington, KY
December 29, 2021
9:00 p.m., ACCN 		Wake Forest W 73–69  8–4
(2–0) 		 17 – Locke   8 – Tied   5 – Faulkner  KFC Yum! Center (14,120)
Louisville, KY
January 2, 2022
2:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Georgia Tech W 67–64  9–4
(3–0) 		 20 – Williams   10 – Williams   4 – Tied  McCamish Pavilion (4,853)
Atlanta, GA
January 5, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Pittsburgh W 75–72  10–4
(4–0) 		 18 – Ellis   8 – Curry   4 – Tied  KFC Yum! Center (11,973)
Louisville, KY
January 8, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Florida State L 70–79  10–5
(4–1) 		 14 – Ellis   7 – Tied   3 – Tied  Donald L. Tucker Center (9,527)
Tallahassee, FL
January 12, 2022
9:00 p.m., ACCN 		NC State L 63–79  10–6
(4–2) 		 22 – Curry   10 – Curry   3 – Locke  KFC Yum! Center (11,973)
Louisville, KY
January 15, 2022
4:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Pittsburgh L 53–65  10–7
(4–3) 		 12 – Williams   13 – Williams   2 – 3 tied  Petersen Events Center (8,431)
Pittsburgh, PA
January 19, 2022
7:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		Boston College W 67–54  11–7
(5–3) 		 13 – Curry   8 – Williams   7 – Faulkner  KFC Yum! Center (12,123)
Louisville, KY
January 22, 2022
4:00 p.m., ESPN 		Notre Dame L 70–82  11–8
(5–4) 		 14 – West   9 – Withers   5 – Faulkner  KFC Yum! Center (16,175)
Louisville, KY
January 24, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Virginia L 52–64  11–9
(5–5) 		 14 – West   6 – Cross   3 – West  John Paul Jones Arena (13,076)
Charlottesville, VA
January 29, 2022
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 9 Duke L 65–74  11–10
(5–6) 		 16 – Davis   12 – Williams   4 – Faulkner  KFC Yum! Center (18,493)
Louisville, KY
February 1, 2022
6:00 p.m., ACCN 		North Carolina L 83–90 OT 11–11
(5–7) 		 25 – Ellis   15 – Cross   4 – Faulkner  KFC Yum! Center (13,386)
Louisville, KY
February 5, 2022
2:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Syracuse L 69–92  11–12
(5–8) 		 13 – Withers   10 – Curry   5 – West  Carrier Dome (23,298)
Syracuse, NY
February 9, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Notre Dame L 57–63  11–13
(5–9) 		 20 – Withers   6 – Wheeler   3 – West  Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,260)
South Bend, IN
February 16, 2022
7:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		Miami (FL) L 63–70  11–14
(5–10) 		 18 – Davis   7 – Tied   1 – 6 tied  KFC Yum! Center (12,065)
Louisville, KY
February 19, 2022
3:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		Clemson W 70–61  12–14
(6–10) 		 15 – Locke   10 – Withers   3 – Ellis  KFC Yum! Center (13,242)
Louisville, KY
February 21, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		at North Carolina L 63–70  12–15
(6–11) 		 10 – 3 tied   7 – Withers   5 – West  Dean Smith Center (18,618)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 26, 2022
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Wake Forest L 77–99  12–16
(6–12) 		 28 – Curry   7 – Curry   3 – Faulkner  LJVM Coliseum (8,139)
Winston-Salem, NC
March 1, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Virginia Tech L 43–75  12–17
(6–13) 		 18 – Curry   11 – Curry   4 – West  Cassell Coliseum (8,925)
Blacksburg, VA
March 5, 2022
12:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Virginia L 61–71  12–18
(6–14) 		 24 – Curry   14 – Curry   7 – Faulkner  KFC Yum! Center (13,085)
Louisville, KY
ACC Tournament
March 8, 2022
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		(11) vs. (14) Georgia Tech
First round 		W 84–74  13–18
  20 – West   10 – Williams   6 – Ellis  Barclays Center (6,222)
Brooklyn, NY
March 9, 2022
9:30 p.m., ESPN2 		(11) vs. (6) Virginia
Second round 		L 50–51  13–19
  11 – Williams   13 – Williams   3 – West  Barclays Center (8,174)
Brooklyn, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Schedule Source:[9]

Rankings[]

See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVRV—Not released
Coaches

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

References[]

  1. ^ "Louisville is First Alternate for NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament".
  2. ^ "NCAA tournament snubs Louisville, Duke among teams to turn down NIT". Yahoo! Sports.
  3. ^ Russell, Shannon. "Louisville basketball denied bid into 2021 NCAA Tournament, won't accept NIT invite". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  4. ^ Conway, Tyler. "All 68 2021 NCAA Tournament Teams Cleared to Play After COVID-19 Testing". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  5. ^ Forde, Pat. "Mack Feels Wrath of Ongoing Louisville Scandal Fallout". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  6. ^ a b "Louisville suspends coach Chris Mack for first six games of upcoming season for breaking school rules". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  7. ^ "Louisville suspends Mack six games without pay". ESPN.com. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  8. ^ Borzello, Jeff. "Kentucky vs. Louisville men's basketball game postponed due to COVID-19 issues with Cardinals". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  9. ^ "2021–2022 Schedule". gocards.com. University of Louisville Athletics. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
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