2001–02 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
| {{{year}}} Louisville Cardinals men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Conference USA |
| Record | 19-13 (8-8 C-USA) |
| Head coach | |
| Home arena | Freedom Hall |
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[1] and the team finished the season with an overall record of 19-13.[2] Their longest winning streak was an 8-game streak and the Cardinals never lost more than 3 games in a row.[2]
This was Pitino's first season as Louisville's head coach. Pitino replaced Denny Crum at the end of the 2000-01 season.[3] 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.[4]
EA Sports Exhibition
On October 31, 2001, Louisville played EA Sports in an exhibition game at Freedom Hall. The Cardinals won 81-63 and this was the debut for new head coach Rick Pitino.[5]
Regular season
The Cardinals finished the regular season with a record of 17-11, including an 8-8 conference record an appearances in two tournaments.[2] Their longest winning streak included an eight-game winning streak and their longest losing streak was a three-game losing streak.[2]
Postseason and Tournaments
During the postseason, the Cardinals played in the Conference USA Tournament and the National Invitation Tournament.[2]
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.[2]
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.[2] Their game against Princeton was won by a banked jumper by Reece Gaines with 5.3 seconds left in the game.[6]
References
- ^ "2001-2002 Louisville Cardinals Roster and Stats". Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g "2001-2002 Louisville Cardinals Schedule and Results". Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Pitino Visits U of L Campus". Louisville Cardinals. March 14, 2001. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Pitino Working Again After Losing Brother-In-Law In Attacks". Louisville Cardinals. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Pitino Makes Louisville Coaching Debut". Louisville Cardinals. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Late Jumper By Louisville Beats Princeton in N.I.T". New York Times Online. The New York Times. March 13, 2002. Retrieved February 4, 2014.