Terrence Williams

June 18, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's basketball team is among the top ten teams in the nation in a 2008-09 preseason ranking by a pair of national web sites.

ESPN.com's Andy Katz has the Cardinals fifth in preseason ranking, which was updated after the early-entry NBA draft withdrawal deadline had passed for players. Seven BIG EAST Conference teams were in the top 25, including three of the first five picks -- No. 2 Pittsburgh, No. 4 Notre Dame, and Louisville.

The Cardinals are No. 6 in a similar ranking by Jeff Goodman of Foxsports.com. Eight BIG EAST teams are in the Foxsports.com listing, including No. 3 Connecticut in the highest position among league schools. North Carolina is top team in both rankings.

U of L will return four starters -- seniors Terrence Williams and Andre McGee, and juniors Earl Clark and Jerry Smith -- from a team which posted a 27-9 record, was runner-up in the BIG EAST Conference, and reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the third time in 11 years. The Cardinals will welcome eight newcomers, including 2008 USA Today high school player of the year Samardo Samuels, a 6-8 forward/center.