The 2000–01 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

in the 2000–01 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the university's 87th season of intercollegiate competition. The head coach was Denny Crum and the team finished the season with an overall record of 12–19. It was Crum's last season as head coach of Louisville, ending the longest tenure of any Louisville head basketball coach. Crum also became the winningest coach of the Louisville basketball team during his 30-year coaching career, with 675 wins. Rick Pitino replaced Crum after the season ended.

Regular season

The Cardinals began their regular season on November 17 with an 86–71 win over

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. However, the Cardinals went on a five-game losing streak from November 22 until an 86–70 win over Loyola (Chicago) ended the streak on December 18. They won again on December 21 by a score of 89–86 over

Murray State Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, ...

, but lost the next four games between December 23 and January 10, 2001. The Cardinals never won more than two games in a row, with their largest losses coming against

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by a score of 100–71 on November 30, and against

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

by a score of 106–72 on February 11.

Postseason

On Wednesday March 7, 2001, the Cardinals played UAB for the first round of the Conference USA tournament. Led by

Murry Bartow Murry Linn Bartow (born August 18, 1961) is an American college basketball coach who most recently was the interim head coach for the UCLA Bruins. As the head coach of the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, he was twice named the conference coach o ...

, the Blazers defeated the Cardinals 71–64, leaving the Cardinals with a final record of 12-19 The Cardinals did not play in the NCAA Tournament.

Awards

Louisville distributed the following awards at the end of the season: ;Peck Hickman Most Valuable Player Award :Marques Maybin ;Most Improved Player :Rashad Brooks ;Most Three Points Awards :Reece Gaines ;Most Assists Awards :Reece Gaines ;Best Defensive Player :Joseph N'Sima ;Best First-Year Player :Joseph N'Sima ;Rebound Award :Joseph N'Sima ;Best Field Goal Percentage Award :Hajj Turner ;Best Free-Throw Percentage :Erik Brown ;Scholar-Athlete Award :Muhammed Lasege ;Most Inspirational Player Award :Bryant Northern ;Coaches' Award :Simeon Naydenov

Coaching change

At the end of the season, coach Denny Crum retired from coaching the Cardinals, with the original announcement coming on March 2, 2001. The soon-to-be coach Rick Pitino visited the campus on March 14, 2001. He held his first press conference on March 23, 2001, at 6:30 PM EDT. On April 17, a rally was held commemorating the new head coach. Two days later, Pitino completed the basketball staff.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2000-01 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team Louisville Cardinals men's basketball seasons Louisville Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, 2000-01 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, 2000-01 2000s in Louisville, Kentucky