The Cardinals competed in the Big East Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, who was in his 11th season.

The team played their home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum!

They defeated Seton Hall, Marquette, and Notre Dame to advance to the Big East tournament championship.

[2] As a result of the win, the Cardinals received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No.

1-seeded Michigan State and Florida to advance to the Final Four for the ninth time in school history.