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Louisville basketball: Ten former Cardinals for “The Basketball Tournament”

By Presley Meyer

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 31: (L-R) Russ Smith #2 and Peyton Siva #3 of the Louisville Cardinals answers questions from the media during their post game press conference following their win against the Duke Blue Devils during the Midwest Regional Final round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 31, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 31: (L-R) Russ Smith #2 and Peyton Siva #3 of the Louisville Cardinals answers questions from the media during their post game press conference following their win against the Duke Blue Devils during the Midwest Regional Final round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 31, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KY – FEBRUARY 01: Russ Smith #2 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball during the game against the Central Florida Knights at KFC YUM! Center on February 1, 2014 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Russ Smith

If there’s a player that Louisville fans most want to see on this team, it’s got to be Russ Smith.

The consensus first-team All-American went to two final fours and won a national title with Louisville. He is the program’s all-time steals leader, a top-five scorer, and is number one in all of our hearts.

Smith set all of these records and received all of these accolades after rarely seeing any playing-time during his first year and a half as a Cardinal. He strongly considered transferring early in his sophomore season before going on to be a Louisville great.

Since leaving in 2014, Smith has been looked over due to his size and style of play. He was drafted in the second round and played two years with the Pelicans and one season with the Grizzlies, but spent most of his time in the G League.

Since 2017, Smith has been playing in China, where he has set the world on fire, averaging over 60 points per game last season.

https://twitter.com/Specter_Smit/status/899603388823941121

Most Cards fans are perplexed by Smith not ever really getting a shot in the NBA. However, he would be an absolutely perfect fit for the TBT. Much of the competition that he would face would be fairly similar to what he sees daily in China.

Next. Ranking the top 100 Louisville basketball players of all time. dark

If the Louisville team could snag “Russdiculous,” the Cards would likely be one of the favorites heading into the 2020 edition of TBT.

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