Louisville Basketball to Hang 2013 Banner Despite NCAA Punishment

The Cardinals vacated over 100 wins after an investigation into the program.

In 2013, Louisville basketball was the last team standing, winning the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. However, an investigation into the program allegedly paying escorts to help recruit players led to the Cardinals vacating 123 wins, including the championship. 

As a result, Louisville can’t hang a banner acknowledging their most recent NCAA championship. However, it appears the school has found a loophole. Louisville basketball will hang a banner this weekend at the KFC Yum! Center with the phrase “Final Coaches Poll #1” as an acknowledgment of the 2012–13’s teams accomplishments.

“Earlier this year, I sent a letter to the NCAA Committee on Infractions asking that we be allowed to hang a banner that would somehow recognize the accomplishments of the 2013 team,” athletic director Josh Heird wrote in a letter to season ticket holders and members of the 2013 team.

Fwiw, here’s the message that members of the 2012-13 national championship team got about the new banner going up at the Yum Center: pic.twitter.com/uXNOHekCY1

— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) February 13, 2023

The team is one of three Louisville squads to win the national championship, and the only Cardinals team to win it all since 1986. The team featured Louisville legends such as Peyton Siva, Gorgui Dieng and Russ Smith. While the NCAA can take away their wins, it cannot officially take away their No. 1 ranking in the final poll of the year.

While Heird revealed that the program will hang the banner this weekend, he added that he would like to one day hang a “National Champions” banner.

“In a perfect world, we would all love to have a banner hanging that says ‘National Champions’ and I continue to remain hopeful that one day that will indeed happen,” Heird said.