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KEY DATES

Oct. 17: Midnight Madness
Nov. 10: 2008-09 season begins
Nov. 18: Kentucky at North Carolina
Dec. 2: Duke at Purdue
Dec. 3: North Carolina vs. Michigan State
Dec. 4: UCLA at Texas
Dec. 4: Southern Cal at Oklahoma
Dec. 6: Wisconsin at Marquette
Dec. 20: Texas at Michigan State
Dec. 23: Kansas at Arizona
Jan. 4: Kentucky at Louisville
Jan. 7: Davidson at Duke
Jan 17: Georgetown at Duke
Jan. 24: Memphis at Tennessee
Feb. 7: Notre Dame at UCLA

March 15: Selection Sunday
April 6: National championship

Coaching changes for the 2008-09 season.

School	Out	Years	Record	In
Alcorn State	Samuel West	5	44-103	Larry Smith
Arkansas-Pine Bluff	Van Holt	6	50-124	George Ivory
Arkansas State	Dickey Nutt	13	189-187	John Brady
Brown	Craig Robinson	2	30-28	Jesse Agel
Bucknell	Pat Flannery	14	234-178	Dave Paulsen
California	Ben Braun	12	219-154	Mike Montgomery
Centenary	Rob Flaska	3	24-65	Greg Gary
Detroit	Perry Watson	15	258-185	Ray McCallum
Drake	Keno Davis	1	28-5	Mark Phelps
Florida Atlantic	Rex Walters	2	31-33	Mike Jarvis
Grambling	Larry Wright	9	88-160	Rick Duckett
Idaho	George Pfeiffer	2	12-48	Don Verlin
Indiana	Kelvin Sampson	2	41-14	Tom Crean
Jacksonville State	Mike LaPlante	8	95-137	James Green
James Madison	Dean Keener	4	31-83	Matt Brady
Kent State	Jim Christian	6	138-58	Geno Ford
Loyola Marymount	Rodney Tention	3	30-61	Bill Bayno
LSU	John Brady	10	192-139	Trent Johnson
Marist	Matt Brady	4	73-50	Chuck Martin
Marquette	Tom Crean	9	190-96	Buzz Williams
Maryland-Eastern Shore	Meredith Smith	1	4-28	Frankie Allen
Massachusetts	Travis Ford	3	62-35	Derek Kellogg
Mercer	Mark Slonaker	11	128-190	Bob Hoffman
Missouri State	Barry Hinson	9	169-117	Cuonzo Martin
Mississippi Valley State	James Green	3	44-51	Sean Woods
New Jersey Tech	Jim Casciano	7	66-119	Jim Engles
Ohio	Tim O'Shea	7	120-95	John Groce
Oklahoma State	Sean Sutton	2	39-29	Travis Ford
Oregon State	Jay John	6	26-68	Craig Robinson
Pepperdine	Vance Walberg	2	14-35	Tom Asbury
Providence	Tim Welsh	10	160-143	Keno Davis
Rice	Willis Wilson	16	219-246	Ben Braun
Sacramento State	Jerome Jenkins	8	80-147	Brian Katz
San Francisco	Jessie Evans	4	45-57	Rex Walters
South Carolina	Dave Odom	7	128-104	Darrin Horn
St. Francis (Pa.)	Bobby Jones	9	85-167	Don Friday
Stanford	Trent Johnson	4	80-48	Johnny Dawkins
TCU	Neil Dougherty	6	75-108	Jim Christian
Texas Southern	Robert Moreland	1	7-25	Tony Harvey
Texas Tech	Bob Knight	7	138-82	Pat Knight
Toledo	Stan Joplin	12	203-155	Gene Cross
Western Illinois	Derek Thomas	5	40-104	Jim Molinari
Western Kentucky	Darrin Horn	5	111-48	Ken McDonald

Head coach: Rick Pitino. Last season: 27-9 overall, 14-4 in the Big East. Postseason: Earned at-large bid to NCAA tournament. Lost 83-73 to North Carolina in regional final.
Breakdown: Probable starters | Backcourt | Frontcourt | Offense | Defense | Outlook

Backcourt

Coach Rick Pitino has four guards who at one time or another in their collegiate careers have been full-time starters. What coach in America wouldn't take his chances with that scenario?

Louisville forward Earl Clark looks like a possible future lottery pick.

PROBABLE STARTING FIVE

G Jerry Smith, 6-1/Jr. 10.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg

G Andre McGee, 5-10/Sr. 6.5 ppg

F Terrence Williams, 6-6/Sr. 11.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 4.5 apg

F Earl Clark, 6-9/Jr. 11.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg

F Samardo Samuels, 6-8/Fr. Rivals.com five-star prospect

TOP RESERVES

G Edgar Sosa, 6-1/Jr. 7.6 ppg

G Reginald Delk, 6-4/Jr. 9.5 ppg in 2006-07 at Mississippi State

F Terrence Jennings, 6-10/Fr. Rivals.com five-star prospect

G Preston Knowles, 6-1/So. 2.5 ppg

Sosa and Smith have averaged double-figure scoring in a season, Sosa in 2006-07 and Smith last year. Delk averaged 9.5 as a sophomore at Mississippi State. So there is scoring punch, too. And all four have shot at least 37 percent from 3-point range in a season, so they can dial it up from the perimeter at any time. Smith had a team-high 68 3-pointers last season, McGee was second with 52, and Sosa was fourth with 47.

The odd thing, though, is not one of the four is particularly adept at distributing the ball. Not one averaged 2.0 assists per game. But they all take reasonably good care of the ball. McGee led the team in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Sosa worked his way deep into Pitino's doghouse and had a hard time getting out. The head man expects a "big change" in the young guard. Pitino said some players take longer to mature and that Sosa, a Big East All-Rookie selection two years ago, "is finally understanding what team is all about and is maturing into the type of basketball player I want him to become."

Frontcourt

Center David Padgett (11.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.0 apg) finished up his career, and Juan Palacios (6.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and Derrick Caracter (8.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg) are gone, too. For most teams that loss of production would be a major blow, but most teams don't recruit as well or have as much talent returning as the Cardinals.

Earl Clark blossomed into a major scorer and rebounder as a sophomore last season. He posted 10 double-doubles, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he nearly doubled that total this season. He was a dominant force in the Cardinals' run to the Elite Eight, averaging 14.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots while shooting 62.2 percent from the floor during the NCAA tournament. As much as last year could be called a breakout year for Clark, bigger and better things are in store.

The other returning starter up front is Terrence Williams, the Cardinals' assist leader (4.5 per game) last season and another main scoring option. He's a 6-foot-6 all-court player who compensates for spotty perimeter shooting with his ability to put the ball on the floor, score around the rim, rebound and set up his teammates. Williams had two triple-doubles last season, just the third and fourth in Louisville history. With Padgett gone, the leadership role falls squarely on him.

The fifth starter probably will be five-star freshman Samardo Samuels, a 6-8, 240-pound power forward who will emerge quickly as a favorite because of his work ethic and diligence on the boards. He was ranked the No. 9 overall prospect in the class by Rivals.com, and No. 2 at his position. He is a force down low, where he can score with a variety of post moves and rebound. Samuels already has NBA strength. He also passes well out of the post, one of Padgett's best attributes. Samuels will vie for Big East rookie of the year honors.

The top man off the bench up front should be another five-star power forward, Terrence Jennings. The 6-10 Jennings was the No. 18 overall prospect, and No. 5 at the position. He's not as polished as Samuels, but he runs the floor very well for a player his size and can finish around the basket. He also is a big-time shot-blocker.

Offense

Pitino has a variety of offensive options. The chief creator is Williams, who can drive and kick or score in the lane. Clark can face up from 15-18 feet or score on the block. No doubt Pitino also will try to get the ball inside to Samuels on occasion.

The Cardinals are less concerned about making the NCAA tournament and more concerned about getting at least one step beyond where they finished last year, the Elite Eight. The talent is there for this to be a Final Four team. Clark, Williams and Samuels could be among the best frontlines in the country by season's end. Delk is a big-time perimeter threat, an area that was a bit of a question mark last season. The defense was spectacular at times last season, and it doesn't figure to drop off. If you look at Louisville's losses last season, they typically came when the Cardinals had trouble stopping guards, against whom Smith and McGee almost always are at a size disadvantage. If Pitino can solve that problem the Cardinals easily could find themselves in Detroit in early April.

Defense

The Cardinals ranked second in the Big East and 22nd nationally in scoring defense (61.5 ppg). Their full-court pressure and half-court trapping not only wear out opponents but also force them to go late in the shot clock. The result is hurried shots, bad looks or turnovers. When opponents are able to set up, Louisville plays an attacking man-to-man and gets into the passing lanes.

Shoes to Fill

Padgett. Pitino ran a good bit of the offense through Padgett because of his decision-making and leadership. Those are tough qualities to replace.

Must Step Up

Clark. He has NBA first-round talent. He considered leaving Louisville after last season, but he's back to ensure lottery-pick status.

Impact Newcomer

Samuels. You don't find many high school players as ready to bang with the big bodies in the Big East as Samuels. He will give as much as he gets.