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The Louisville Cardinals will win the AAC in the 2013-14 college basketball season. Although that may not be that bold since this team is coming off of a national championship, Louisville is losing some talent and the AAC will have plenty of contenders.
The toughest contender that the Cardinals will likely face in the upcoming season is the Connecticut Huskies. With that said, Memphis should have a top 25 team and the Cincinnati Bearcats could do some damage.
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The AAC will not have as many good teams as the Big East did this past season, but this will still be a very competitive conference.
Russ Smith will be back, which is huge for the Cardinals since he did average 18.7 points per game. Smith will likely be the front-runner for the Naismith entering the season, but even if he is not, he will be one of the favorites.
Peyton Siva and Gorgui Dieng will no longer be Cardinals, but this was a stacked team last season and players like Luke Hancock did emerge in the Big Dance–20 points against Wichita State and 22 points against Michigan.
It is never easy repeating as a national champion and although I think Louisville will win the AAC, I do not think it will win another title–at least next year. There will be so many talented teams in the 2013-14 season and although the Cardinals are one of them, it will not be easy to repeat.
Still, Louisville will easily be one of the best teams in the nation entering the year and they will easily be one of the best teams in the AAC.
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