There’s no other way to put it, Louisville was the best in the country from day one till the final buzzer.
The Cardinals were the preseason number one team in the nation, with players like Peyton Siva and Russ Smith returning from stellar seasons just a year ago Louisville nation was ready to rock, and rock they did. 
The Cards’ came out of the gate hot, winning 16 of their first 17 games.
When the postseason came around they were prepared to fire on all cylinders after clinching the regular season title. The regular season title was not enough, as Louisville ousted Syracuse in the Big East championship, leading them to receive the number one overall seed in the big dance.
The NCAA tournament was a formality for the Cardinals, as they breezed through each round eventually defeating Trey Burke and his Michigan squad in the National Championship.
The third title in school history, and the first under Rick Pitino.
2012-13 REGULAR SEASON TEAM LEADERS
| POINTS | PPG | FG% | FT% | 3PT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Smith | 18.1 | .408 | .828 | .333 |
| G. Dieng | 10.0 | .498 | .690 | .000 |
| REBOUNDS | REB | OFF | DEF | BPG |
| G. Dieng | 9.9 | 3.7 | 6.2 | 2.5 |
| C. Behanan | 6.6 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 0.5 |
| ASSISTS | APG | SPG | TO | AST/TO |
| P. Siva | 5.9 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
| R. Smith | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 1.1 |
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
| Final Fours | 10 |
| Tournament Record | 64-40 |
| Championship Seasons | 1980, 1986, 2013 |
| Tournament Appearances | 38 |
2012 RECRUITS
| NAME | POS | STATUS | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
| M. Harrell | Power Forward | Signed | 92 |
| M. Mathiang | Center | Signed | 60 |
