The NCAA Tournament selection committee did not have to look far when deciding if Louisville should get the No. 1, No. 1 position. They just had to look back at last year's tournament champion.
The Cardinals are eerily similar to the Kansas Jayhawks.
Not only does the back court of Earl Clark, Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith, Preston Knowles and Andre McGee bring back thoughts of the Jayhawk backcourt of Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, Russell Robinson and Sheron Collins, that stats bear it out. Clark leads the Cardinals in scoring averaging 14 points a game and can take players inside and out, much like his predecessor Rush, who led Kansas last year with 13.3 points per game.
Looking back at last year, Kansas fans will remember the spark and intensity Collins brought off the bench to the Kansas guard play. Louisville fans boast their own reserve spark plugs as Preston Knowles and Andre McGee have been defensive weapons for Rick Pitino to unleash on opponents.
The similarities do not end in the back court, both squads also boast strong front courts. Arthur and Jackson Darnell provided 24 points a game combined for Kansas last season, while Sasha Kaun and Cole Aldrich came off the bench in reserve. Louisville's starting tandem of Terrance Williams and Samardo Samuels are averaging 24.2 points per game in the paint, while Terrance Jennings is giving the Cardinals 4.1 points off the bench.
While offensively the teams look like mirror images the same could be said on the defensive side of the ball. Kansas held opponents to 61.5 points per game last season and 38 percent shooting from the field. Not to be outdone, Louisville with its trapping defense, is allowing just 61.6 points per game and holding opponents to 39 percent shooting.
With history as our guide, my bracket ends with Louisville on the champion's line.
