Chane Behanan News

After not sleeping for more than 50 hours after Louisville won the national title, Rick Pitino was so tired and emotional he cried tears of joy watching the second-half of the Cardinals' game on television.

In his Top 10 things he's excited about for the 2013-2014 season, Jason King over at ESPN has a Cardinals repeat as his #10: For the first time in eons , the team I picked in the preseason to win the national title -- the team I stood by all season, no matter what -- ended up cutting down the nets.

Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State : Smart was the nation's best freshman in 2012-2013, and made the decision to return to school for his sophomore year despite being a projected top five pick.

A team that set the school record with 35 wins in a single season returns three starters, 75 percent of their scoring, 72 percent of their rebounding, and 72 percent of their minutes.

Seniors Russ Smith and Luke Hancock will be the captains of the Louisville basketball team for the 2013-2014 season.

Kentucky's recruiting class is still the best recruiting class of all time, and they also return two future lottery picks in Poythress and Cauley-Stein. I have some doubts about this group, but it won't change the fact that they are the favorite to win it all as of today.

Freeze the frame. Chane Behanan is under the basket, poised to go up with the ball.

National champion Louisville is losing some key contributors to graduation and the NBA, but the Cardinals still have talent to burn.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Russ Smith is staying at Louisville to chase another NCAA championship and a degree.

The 6-foot junior guard, who said shortly after the Cardinals won the national championship that he was declaring for the NBA Draft, will come back for his senior season.

The Louisville Cardinals came into the NCAA Tournament as the top overall seed and vindicated themselves Monday by beating Michigan, 82-76, in an intense national championship game at the Georgia Dome.

Day is done, gone the Sun, and so the long basketball season is over; so is the little bit of unexpected drama of the Who Be Here Next Year? question.