Louisville basketball: Ranking the top 100 players of all time

80: Larry O’Bannon

The 2005 NCAA Tournament West Regional MVP really made a name for himself in the postseason that year. O’Bannon caught fire and was Coach Rick Pitino’s most trusted hot hand as the Cards cruised to their first Final Four since 1986. The 6’4″ hometown kid averaged 15.2 ppg that year, and when you mention “most underrated” players of all-time, his name is sure to come up. There is no way we would’ve made it past the Sweet 16 without his heroics. He ranks 10th all-time in career 3 point field goals (163). We love ya, Larry.

79: Kenny Payne

Kenny rolled into Louisville as a highly-touted incoming freshman. In his first year, he was a member of the 1986 NCAA Championship team. He appeared in 128 games in his college playing years and shot over 50 percent his senior season. At 6’8″ and 195 lbs, Payne was a master at creating space to operate. His fourth year as a Cardinal proved to be his golden year, and he was taken 19th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.

78: Ray Spalding

Boy, was he in shape. Ray’s quickness on the block, a silky smooth baby hook, and top-notch footwork launched him into the NBA after his junior season, in which he averaged 12.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. Ray could do it all, and had he come back for his senior year, he would’ve crashed the record books hard.

77: Juan Palacios 

Palacios’s game was beyond his years. The 6’8″, 250 lb. power forward was in the first wave of big men that could spread the floor by knocking down threes. He made over 34 percent of them in his career. As a freshman, the deceivingly fast big man averaged 9.7 points and 6.5 rebounds for the 2005 Final Four squad.

76: Bob Lochmueller

In his 3 years as a Cardinal, Bob racked up 1,218 points. As a sophomore, he averaged 18.8 ppg, one of the best scoring seasons on record. As well as being an avid scorer, Lochmueller also was a glass monster. In his junior year, he averaged 14 rebounds per game. In his career, Bob averaged a double-double (15.2 ppg., 12.9 rpg).

75: Chris Smith

Possibly the most underrated three-point shooter in Louisville basketball history, Smith made a big splash behind the arc in his two seasons at The Ville, shooting over 40 percent. If you add in over 4 rebounds and 2 assists over those two years here, the starting shooting guard had a vital role in the Cardinals’ Final Four run in 2012.

74: Mike Lawhon

Lawhon was about as well-rounded of a player that you could find. He could do it all. At 6’5″, Mike was in incredible shape for that time. He averaged 12.5 points and 4.4 rebounds for the 1972 team that reached the Final Four. He proved to be a great on-the-floor leader for that team, one of the greatest ever, without whom they may have never been able to notch that achievement on a banner.

73: Jerry Smith

In his very first game, Jerry set the tone, breaking the scoring record by a freshman in a career debut. He’s more well-known for that deep three-pointer at the buzzer to beat Marquette in 2007. Smith started in 111 games at Louisville, shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range. The tough, scrappy guard also chipped in 3 rpg. in the Cardinal red.

72: Allen Murphy

Allen was the leading scorer on the 28-3 1975 Final Four team. He averaged over 16 ppg. in each year at Louisville, and shot over 50 percent from the field in his career. The 6’4″ forward didn’t take good shots. He took great ones. Murphy had a halting pull-up jumper and could create separation with ease.

71: Keith LeGree

Though LeGree’s time at Louisville was short, he made enough of an impact as a freshman and sophomore to turn plenty heads. Keith ran point guard as confident as any we had seen up until that point. He appeared in 60 games and averaged 3.6 assists in his career as a Cardinal.