Despite losing four starters including a pair of NBA Draft picks, optimism is high for Louisville, which posted a 27-9 record last season and reached its fifth NCAA Elite Eight in the past eight years. In addition to an incoming top ten freshman class, UofL bolstered its roster with a pair of senior graduate transfers in 6-6 guard Damion Lee, who was the nation’s fourth-leading scorer at Drexel last season (21.4 ppg) and 6-2 guard Trey Lewis, who led Cleveland State with a 16.3 scoring average and made a school-record 96 three-pointers.
A pair of 6-10 front court returnees gained experience in international competition over the summer as sophomore Chinanu Onuaku won a gold medal as a member of the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team, while junior Mangok Mathiang competed with Australia and led the 2015 World University Games in rebounding.