ESPN'S TAKE ON THE CAJUNS:
Transfers unite! The Ragin' Cajuns blended a number of D-I movers into an athletic team that avenged two regular-season losses to Sun Belt champ Denver by blasting the Pioneers in the conference tourney championship game to grab the league's auto bid. This team definitely won't be intimidated in the opening round, as the Cajuns already have played LSU, Charlotte, Kansas, NC State, Vandy, Southern Illinois and Rice this season, beating the last two. UL-L's best player is Tiras Wade, a transfer from East Tennessee State who averaged 20.4 ppg and 6.0 rpg from the guard spot. Brian Hamilton (13.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg) inside and Florida transfer Orien Greene (11.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.1 apg) in the backcourt provide quality support. This team can play. No one in the top four seeds will be happy to see the Cajuns as their opponent Sunday night.
ESPN'S TAKE ON THE CARDINALS:
That the Cardinals enter the NCAAs as a major contender is a testament to their resilience and the restorative powers of Rick Pitino. They came into the season missing two star recruits who turned pro (Sebastian Telfair and Donta Smith). Then came the injuries: touted freshman center Brian Johnson (year); senior big man Otis George (11 games); Taquan Dean (slowed by hernia, mono); and several others of lesser note. Louisville lost just two games (in Maui against Iowa and a puzzling February home blowout against Memphis) while at full strength. Five members of its eight-man rotation are juniors or seniors, led by perimeter players Francisco Garcia (15.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.1 spg), Dean (47 percent from 3, makes more than three a game) and senior Larry O'Bannon (43 percent from 3, can penetrate and get to the line). The Cards are a great road team and have a natural preference for pressing and shooting threes in transition, but they've also proven adept at winning grind-it-out games with both man and zone defenses. Rebounding and reliable low-post offense remain Louisville's weaknesses -- especially with freshman Juan Diego Palacios struggling down the stretch -- but nobody's been hotter than the Cards.
Individual Stats:
PTS REB AST TO BLK FT% 3P%
Francisco Garcia
15.4 4.5 3.9 2.8 1.4 .872 .364
Larry O'Bannon
14.9 3.3 1.8 1.7 0.2 .845 .432
Taquan Dean
14.2 3.9 2.6 1.8 0.0 .829 .458
Ellis Myles
10.5 9.3 3.4 3.0 0.7 .573 .000
Juan Diego Palacios
9.8 6.6 1.0 1.7 0.5 .663 .386
Otis George
5.8 5.3 1.0 1.0 0.6 .685 .000
Brandon Jenkins
5.5 2.4 1.5 1.3 0.0 .702 .413
Lorrenzo Wade
4.5 1.9 0.3 0.8 0.1 .846 .316
Brian Johnson
2.0 2.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 .500 .000
Perrin Johnson
2.0 1.4 0.2 0.5 0.2 .409 .000
Brad Gianiny
1.9 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.0 .900 .423
Terrance Farley
1.2 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.5 .500 .000
Chris Current
0.6 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.1 .833 .077
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