Cardinal sins absolved

Congrats, everyone. It's the final weekend before the start of the 2022-23 college basketball season. Though the opening week doesn't include the Champions Classic and many other marquee matchups, there are still plenty of chances for upset losses, early breakout stars and other storylines to emerge.

For one last time, let's do some preseason coverage ahead of Monday.

1. Louisville's saga with the NCAA ends with a whimper

It's been five years since the FBI arrested 10 people, including assistant coaches and Adidas executives as part of its investigation into college basketball recruiting. It's been nearly 30 months since Louisville first received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA.

Thursday, that all came to a close for the Cardinals. The school was handed a $5,000 fine, a seven-day reduction in recruiting days, and handed two years of probation. No postseason ban. No punishments for former coaches Rick Pitino or Chris Mack.

Five years. A whopping five years for this to be the result. Congrats to all of the lawyers and staffers. But honestly, no postseason ban is the right decision, considering the staff and roster weren't involved in any of the violations. (Oklahoma State remains the only school linked to the FBI investigation that's received any kind of postseason ban. Kansas, Arizona and LSU all have yet to receive their final verdicts.) As for Louisville, it's more than a little relieved.

The Rhode Island Rams somehow were the biggest loser. Current assistant Kenny Johnson, who was at Louisville in 2017, is now unable to go out and recruit players. His punishment hurts a program in a rebuild and could put his job at stake, which has been a theme in these investigations; the assistants get punished more than the head coaches who are supposed to be overseeing everything.

This probably bodes well for Kansas, which announced self-imposed penalties on Wednesday, though an announcement from their IARP decision isn't expected until the spring. One could make the same logical jump for Arizona and LSU since the IARP has now issued multiple rulings that do not affect the players currently at the school. Postseason bans as a thing of the past? That's a good thing.

2. Will Rick Pitino's vindication lead to a bigger job?

One of the biggest consequences of the investigation was Louisville firing Pitino after the 2016-17 season. Many of his wins from prior years were vacated, along with the national title he and the Cardinals won in 2013. His return to college basketball was at Iona in 2020, and he had an immediate impact, taking them to the NCAA Tournament in the first year.

Coach Pitino is starting off Year 3 with the Gaels — but he also wanted to make some statements. From the Louisville Courier-Journal:

Louisville officials agree. Hanging that banner back up in the KFC Yum! Center is a priority for AD Josh Heird. But what about Pitino? What's in his future?

It's clear that Pitino didn't want to leave Louisville and Louisville didn't want him to leave. But the potential of sanctions forced the athletic department's hand. Now those dark clouds are gone for programs interested in a Hall of Fame coach who's won two national titles and taken three programs to the Final Four. There might be a few such programs in the ACC alone.

But would Pitino leave Iona? He's said on multiple occasions that he's happy at Iona. He's 70, he's at a good MAAC program, and thanks to who he is, he gets the guys needed to compete at a high level.

On the other hand, the MAAC is essentially a one-bid league. Losing in that conference tournament usually means your season is over. Meanwhile, you can go .500 in ACC play and still get an at-large bid. Expect his name to get floated for most openings this spring. It'll be interesting to see if he seriously considers any of them.

3. Depth will determine Duke's success this season

The Blue Devils finished their preseason last night with an 82-45 win over D2 opponent, Fayetteville State. Illinois transfer Jacob Grandison led all scorers with 17 points, while freshman Mark Mitchell had 15, and Northwestern transfer Ryan Young produced 12 points and six rebounds.

With 5-star freshmen Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively out with injuries, Duke has relied on others to step up. And that wasn't exactly the plan. Sure, the Devils knew they'd have to find balance, but like this?

It's strange that a team with four 5-star prospects and returning a consensus top-100 player in the country in point guard Jeremy Roach is having to lean on a committee to succeed. But it also speaks to the theme of uncertainty for Duke overall. They have a new coach in Jon Scheyer, a bunch of newcomers once again, and all eyes on Roach as the lead guard.

How does it all fit? Is Roach a go-to guy? Does the defense thrive with freshmen big men? And most importantly, do the Blue Devils have what it takes to win the ACC and make another Final Four run?

We answer those questions and much more in the Almanac, available right now for just $19.99. Cram this weekend and you'll be ready for the opening tip.

4. Injuries to watch ahead of opening week

As the last batch of exhibitions and scrimmages has concluded, we've gained some clarity on the injury status of certain players.

• Kentucky coach John Calipari says he'd be "stunned" if returning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, still recovering from knee surgery in October, plays against Howard on Monday, and possibly against Duquesne on Friday. Sahvir Wheeler seems to have avoided a serious leg injury, but he also seems to be questionable for Monday. And respectfully, the status of big man Daimion Collins is unknown for next week, as he's mourning the loss of his father.

• Five-star Villanova freshman Cam Whitmore still doesn't have a timetable to return after suffering a thumb injury this offseason. He'll be out for next week's games against La Salle and at Temple.

• After missing most of the preseason with a foot injury, Michigan State sophomore Jaden Akins could make his debut on Monday versus Northern Arizona.

• Pittsburgh's leading scorer John Hugley and forward William Jeffress have been declared out for at least Monday's matchup with UT-Martin. Hugley's knee injury isn't viewed as a long-term issue.

• Vermont's top offseason transfer Dylan Penn is reportedly day-to-day with a hand injury, with his availability for opening night versus Brown in question.

• Tre Mitchell is officially "questionable" for West Virginia's opening-night game versus Mount St. Mary's on Monday night. If he misses that, the next game is on the road versus Pittsburgh on Friday night.

• Double-digit scoring transfer Jermaine Couisnard has undergone knee surgery and is out indefinitely for Oregon. Also expected to be out are Lok Wur, Ethan Butler, Brennan Rigsby, and potentially 5-star freshman big Kel'el Ware.

• Auburn's 4-star freshman wing Chance Westry will miss Monday night's matchup at home versus George Mason as he recovers from a knee injury.

• Wake Forest guard Jao Ituka will be out for at least the next week, meaning that he'll miss games against Fairfield and Georgia.

• Missouri Valley favorite Drake had several key players held out on Thursday's preseason tuneup, including Tucker DeVries. As of now, none have been ruled out for the opening night matchup with IUPUI, but the status of the Bulldogs is something to watch this weekend.

5. Is Jordan Hawkins ready to be UConn's go-to guy?

Most UConn attention centers on returning big man Adama Sanogo and the four guards picked up from the transfer portal. But the Huskies' returning wings, Andre Jackson and Jordan Hawkins, are set to play hugely important roles.

Hawkins is a former top-50 prospect who made the All-Big East Freshman Team after producing 5.8 ppg in 17 mpg. At 6-5 with a capable shot, he's someone that has pro potential if he can put it all together.

In fact, UConn coach Dan Hurley believes he can be their top guard. From David Borges at CT Insider:

A breakout makes sense, considering Hawkins' reputation as a scorer and recruiting rank coming out of high school. But after landing several veteran guards this offseason, it also seemed that the Huskies might be hedging a bit. We'll see how the minutes look for Hawkins and the rest of the guard rotation when UConn faces Stonehill on opening night.

Links while you text the people that came before you at your job, as Dennis Gates does.

• There are many reasons why you should be ready for the return of college basketball. John Fanta gives you 68 reasons.

• West Virginia and Massachusetts have agreed to a home-and-home series for 2023 and 2024. (Coach Bob Huggins also shared some thoughts on the possibility of Gonzaga joining the Big 12.)

• Five-star prospect and Kentucky commit Rob Dillingham has signed with Overtime Elite while maintaining his college eligibility. He was formerly at Kayne West's Donda Academy before it shut down for the school year.

• Louisville beats Chaminade by just 7 points, led by El Ellis with 28 points.

THE DTF PODCAST

Is Jon Scheyer set up to struggle in year 1?

Taking over for one of the greatest coaches of all time isn't easy, but the hope is that the No. 1 recruiting class can make things easy for first-year Duke coach Jon Scheyer. With injuries, overall youth and some positional questions, Scheyer will have his hands full.

Check out what the Field of 68 After Dark had to say about the Duke Blue Devils, as well as a conversation with starting guard Jeremy Roach.

Subscribe to The Field of 68 AFTER DARK on YouTube here and click here subscribe to AFTER DARK.

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Correction: In Thursday's Daily, we said Boise State was moving to the Big 12. That should have been Cincinnati.