Louisville Basketball: 5 toughest games on the Cards’ 2016-2017 schedule
By Derek Snyder
Take a look at Louisville basketball’s five toughest games on their 2016-2017 schedule and a preview of those teams they will face.
This is going to be an important bounce-back season for the Louisville basketball team, as they had to sit out the NCAA Tournament last year because of a self-imposed ban. Now that the sanctions seem to be in the past, every Cardinals fan can look forward to seeing their team in the postseason come March.
With that being said, the Cards have a brutal schedule in 2016-2017. There isn’t more than five or so games on their slate that will not challenge them to some extent. While I know they can survive, one had to wonder what kind of effect it will have on the team by the end of the season.
Chip Patterson from CBS Sports had this quote from Rick Pitino a few months ago:
"“Our schedule as planned is one of the toughest any team could encounter,” Pitino said. “The league travel is a bit unfair with a 9 p.m. home game on Thursday [Jan. 19 vs. Clemson], followed by a 2 p.m. game at Florida State on Saturday [Jan. 21]. There’s also a road game on Saturday afternoon [Feb. 4] at Boston College, then next up traveling to Virginia on Monday [Feb. 6].” But Pitino wasn’t done. “That’s not mentioning our league opening game at home against Virginia [Dec. 28] sandwiched between Kentucky [Dec. 21] and Indiana [Dec. 31], all followed with a game at Notre Dame [Jan. 4]. But that’s the ACC. The Battle 4 Atlantis [Nov. 23 vs. Old Dominion], Purdue [Nov. 30] and at Grand Canyon [Dec. 3] — pass the Pepto Bismol."
Pitino is correct, Louisville has one of the toughest stretch of games in the entire country. We can only hope that it toughens this team up and makes them better. Just by knowing the history of Pitino’s teams, I trust that this will come as nothing but a normal challenge every week.
Here are the five toughest games that Louisville basketball will play this season.