Billy Minardi Classic

Last updated March 14, 2019

The Billy Minardi Classic is an annual college basketball event hosted by the University of Louisville. The event is named after Billy Minardi, Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino's brother-in-law. Minardi was killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The event has featured December doubleheader and single games at Freedom Hall and the KFC Yum! Center.^[1]^[2]^[3]

The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky, a member of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General Assembly to be a "Preeminent Metropolitan Research University". The university enrolls students from 118 of 120 Kentucky counties, all 50 U.S. states, and 116 countries around the world.

Richard Andrew Pitino is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA Division I and in the NBA, including Boston University (1978–1983), Providence College (1985–1987), the New York Knicks (1987–1989), the University of Kentucky (1989–1997), the Boston Celtics (1997–2001) and the University of Louisville (2001–2017).

The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The attacks killed 2,996 people, injured over 6,000 others, and caused at least $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage. Additional people died of 9/11-related cancer and respiratory diseases in the months and years following the attacks.

History

The Classic was founded in 2002 and named after Billy Minardi, Rick Pitino's deceased brother-in-law. The Classic features at least one game with Louisville each season. Typically the event features a doubleheader, but has also been a single-game event. Originally the game was played at Freedom Hall until Louisville moved its home games to the KFC Yum! Center. In 2015 the event featured a two-day, four-team tournament.

The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the men's college basketball program representing the University of Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) of NCAA Division I. The Cardinals have officially won two NCAA championships in 1980 and 1986 ; and have officially been to 8 Final Fours in 38 official NCAA tournament appearances while compiling 61 tournament wins.

Related Research Articles

John Paul Jones Arena, or JPJ, is an arena owned by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Since its opening in 2006, it serves as the home to the Virginia Cavaliers men's and women's basketball teams, as well as for concerts and other events. With seating for 14,593 fans, John Paul Jones Arena is the largest indoor arena in Virginia and the biggest Atlantic Coast Conference basketball arena located outside of large metropolitan areas. JPJ opened for basketball on November 12, 2006, with Virginia defeating No. 10 ranked Arizona 93–90, handing Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson his first season-opening loss in six years.

Freedom Hall is a multi-purpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is best known for its use as a basketball arena, serving as the home of the University of Louisville Cardinals It has hosted Motley Crue, Elvis Presley, The Doors, Creed, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and many more. As well as many Weeks events men's team from 1956 to 2010, the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association from 1970 until the ABA-NBA merger in June 1976, and the Louisville Cardinals women's team from its inception in 1975 to 2010. Freedom Hall's last regular tenant was the Kentucky Stickhorses of the North American Lacrosse League, who used it from 2011 until the team folded in 2013.

Sports in Louisville, Kentucky include amateur and professional sports in baseball, football, horse racing, horse shows, ice hockey, soccer and lacrosse. The city of Louisville and the Louisville metropolitan area have a sporting history from the mid-19th century to the present day.

The 1958 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 11, 1958, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in Louisville, Kentucky. A total of 28 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.

The 1987 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1987, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A total of 63 games were played.

The KFC Yum! Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is named after the KFC restaurant chain and Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC. Adjacent to the Ohio River waterfront, it is located on Main Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets and opened on October 10, 2010. The arena is part of a $450 million project that includes a 975-car parking structure and floodwall.

The 2009–10 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 96th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Big East Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, who was in his ninth season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at Freedom Hall, the final season before moving to the KFC Yum! Center.

The 2010–11 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 97th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Big East Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, who was in his 10th season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center, their first season at the new arena after 54 years at Freedom Hall.

The 2011–12 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 98th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Big East Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, who was in his 11th season. The team played home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals finished the season with a record of 30–10, 10–8 to finish in sixth place in Big East play. Louisville won the Big East Tournament Championship for the second time, defeating Cincinnati 50–44. As a result of the win, the Cardinals received the conferences automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as a #4 seed. Louisville advanced to the Final Four for the 9th time in school history before falling to eventual National Champion Kentucky 69–61.

The 2012–13 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 99th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Big East Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino in his 12th season as head coach at Louisville. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals finished the season 35–5, 14–4 in Big East play to earn a share of the Big East regular season championship. They won the Big East Tournament for the third time in school history and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals earned a trip to the school's fourth Final Four and defeated Michigan to win the NCAA Championship; however, that title was stripped by the NCAA in 2018. The season marked the final year for the Big East under its original structure.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

The 2013–14 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 100th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the American Athletic Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino in his 13th season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center.

The 2001–02 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville in the 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the 88th season of interleague play for the Cardinals. The head coach was Rick Pitino and the team finished the season with an overall record of 19-13. Their longest winning streak was an 8-game streak and the Cardinals never lost more than 3 games in a row.

The 2014–15 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 101st season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, in his fourteenth season at U of L. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville.

The 2015–16 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was Louisville's 102nd season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in their second season in the Atlantic Coast Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, in his 15th season at U of L. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville. They finished the season 23–8, 12–6 in ACC play to finish in fourth place.

The 2016–17 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cardinals competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, in his 16th and final season at Louisville. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville. They finished the season 25–9, 12–6 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. They lost to Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Jacksonville State in the first round to advance to the second round where they lost to Michigan.

The 2015 University of Louisville basketball sex scandal involved National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules violations committed by the University of Louisville men's basketball program. The scandal centered around improper benefits given by former Director of Basketball Operations and Louisville player Andre McGee to prospective players and former Louisville players.

The 2017–18 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, Kentucky as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were led by interim head coach David Padgett after former head coach Rick Pitino was fired due to an FBI investigation into the school. They finished the season 22–14 overall, and 9–9 in ACC conference play, finishing in a tie for 8th with Florida State, who they defeated in the second round of the ACC Tournament before losing to Virginia in the quarterfinals. They received an invitation to the NIT, where they defeated Northern Kentucky in the first round and Middle Tennessee in the second round before being defeated in the quarterfinals by Mississippi State.

References

↑ Rutherford, Mike (17 December 2016). "Louisville-EKU preview".
↑ "UofL BASKETBALL - Cardinals Dominate Colonels in Billy Minardi Classic".
↑ "Billy Minardi Classic Bracket, Scores, Stats, Schedule - RealGM".

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Rutherford, Mike (17 December 2016). "Louisville-EKU preview".

[2] "UofL BASKETBALL - Cardinals Dominate Colonels in Billy Minardi Classic".

[3] "Billy Minardi Classic Bracket, Scores, Stats, Schedule - RealGM".

v t e Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
Venues	Jefferson County Armory (1945–1956) Freedom Hall (1956–2010) KFC Yum! Center (2010–present)
Rivalries	Cincinnati Kentucky Memphis
Culture & lore	History Billy Minardi Classic Cardinal Bird The Rivalry: Red v. Blue 2015 sex scandal 2017 corruption scandal
People	Head coaches Notable players
Seasons	1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18
NAIA and NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics