Battle 4 Atlantis: Louisville Preview

No. 2 Louisville (3-0)

The coach: Rick Pitino—The coaching legend joined Louisville in 2001, with more than 350 wins to his name already. He has since won 265 more games with the Cardinals.

Read more everything you need to know about Duke basketball in the Bahamas on our Battle 4 Atlantis page

The season so far: The Cardinals, led by senior point guard Peyton Siva and his nine assists per game, are one of the stingiest defensive teams in the country. Opponents have averaged 22.3 turnovers in three games, while scoring just 48 points per game. Talented sophomore wings Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear have combined to average 19.7 points and 16.1 rebounds per game, while junior Russ Smith has emerged as an unexpected early-season hero with 21.3 points per contest so far.

[Read more everything you need to know about Duke basketball in the Bahamas on our Battle 4 Atlantis page](/page/duke-basketball-2012-battle-4-atlantis)

The player to watch: Gorgui Dieng. Since arriving in the U.S. from his native Senegal in 2009, Dieng has showed incredible improvement in his game. Standing 6-foot-10 with a reported 7-foot-6 wingspan, he has always been a force on the glass and on defense. But this year, he has rounded out his game, with averages of 10 points and 2.7 assists to go along with 8.3 rebounds and two blocks per game.

Projected starting five: G Peyton Siva, G Russ Smith, SF Wayne Blackshear, F Chane Behanan, C Gorgui Dieng

Road to the championship: Louisville faces Northern Iowa in the first round and the winner of No. 13 Missouri-Stanford in the semifinals before awaiting the winner of the bracket's other side.

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