In a press conference in November 2022, athletic director Josh Heird previously alluded to the fact that getting the banner back up was on “ the to-do list.” And after consulting with the NCAA and the Committee on Infractions, a new agreement was made. Rather than “2013 NCAA Champions,” the new banner will read “ 2013 Final Coaches Poll #1.” Despite what one might think, this is a big victory for the University of Louisville. This banner will not be the same as the one that hung in the KFC Yum! Center for nearly half a decade from 2013-2018. Modern-Day Recognitionĭuring the game against Clemson, scheduled for this Saturday February 18, 2023, the University of Louisville will honor the 2012-2013 men’s basketball team with a banner. The athletic feats and team success that resulted from countless hours of conditioning, training, practicing, and watching film, were all just supposed to be forgotten.Ĭardinal fans were all but told that the National Championship game, which was witnessed by tens of millions of basketball fans all over the country, did not happen. The University of Louisville and its fanbase were made to feel as if all the excitement, joy, and pride they felt during the 2012-2013 season needed to be erased. The banners came down from the rafters, and the record books were “changed.” Asterisks were added to every mention of Louisville’s 2013 national title or any of the program’s accomplishments between the years of 2011 through 2015. This decision to vacate the championship was later upheld by the NCAA’s Infractions Appeals Committee in February 2018. This scandal came on the heels of another scandal, which in turn led to the university firing Head Coach Rick Pitino over allegations surrounding the improper recruitment of five-star forward Brian Bowen II. Chane Behanan, a massive contribution to the 2013 championship team, recently confirmed this on an interview with Nick Coffey. Four years later, on June 15, 2017, the NCAA ruled that the University of Louisville must vacate its 2013 National Championship, as well as 122 other victories and its 2012 Final Four appearance, due to a scandal surrounding the idea that Head Coach Rick Pitino was aware of sexual acts performed by his players with hired sex workers.īut, in reality, all of this was orchestarted secretively by former Director of Basketball Operations, Andre McGee. But the NCAA did not hold it to the same revered standard as the city of Louisville. Louisville fans carried the joy of that day in April for years to come, and still hold it dearly in their memories. There were several lead changes in the second half, but Louisville took a 76-66 lead on a Luke Hancock three-pointer, assisted by Russ Smith, with just 3:25 remaining, and managed to hold on to earn an 82-76 victory thus crowing the Cardinals as national champions, and earning just their third NCAA title across all sports.Īpwas one of the greatest days in the history of the university’s athletic program, especially for those who were born after March 31, 1986. However, the Cards managed to close the gap right before halftime, largely due to Louisville reserve Luke Hancock’s four-straight three-pointers. The Wolverines pulled out to a 35-23 lead in the first half, behind a 17-point first half performance from the team’s backup point guard Spike Albrecht. Michigan started Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III, and Mitch McGary for the opening tip-off, while Peyton Siva, Russ Smith, Wayne Blackshear, Chane Behanan, and Gorgui Dieng filled out Louisville’s starting lineup. John Cahill, Tony Greene, and John Higgins were the game’s referees. Jim Nantz handled the play-by-play, while Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr served as the color commentators. The game was broadcast on CBS to an audience of 23.4 million viewers. By Peyton Powell 3 months ago The Overwhelming Joy of the ChampionshipĪpwas the day the University of Louisville Cardinals matched up against the University of Michigan Wolverines at the Georgia Dome in front of a crowd of 74,326 people.
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