Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
After winning the national championship, the Louisville Cardinals will be expected to repeat in the 2013-14 college basketball season. However, will the pressure be too much for this team?
There will be a couple of great players no longer on the team, which will definitely hurt the Cardinals, but a lot of talent will be returning as well, which includes Russ Smith, who will likely be the early season favorite to be the Player of the Year.
Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators did not crumble under pressure a few years ago when they won two national titles in a row, but they had the same team for both championships.
Rick Pitino is a great coach and Louisville is an experienced team. So, any amount of pressure will likely not be too big for this team to handle. However, whoever takes Peyton Siva’s spot at point guard will not have it easy. If that player can rise to the occasion and lead the offense, then the Cardinals very well could win another national championship.
Although the pressure may not be to great to crumble this team, the competition in the upcoming season might be. There will be plenty of great teams competing for a national title–just like every season–and it is never easy to win a single elimination tournament, especially when over 60 teams are in the field.
No team will have more pressure on it in the 2013-14 season than Louisville. I do not suspect that being a problem, but all eyes will be on this team to say the least.
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