It's the highest number of basketball players to achieve a 3.0 or better for a semester in program history.
I love these guys. I really, really do.
Here's the release from U of L:
While the University of Louisville men's basketball team is unbeaten on the court, the Cardinals have excelled in the classroom as well.
Grades have been posted for the 2011 UofL Fall Semester and 14 of the Cardinals' 17 players on its roster achieved a 3.0 or better grade point average, the most in its program history. The team produced a combined 3.16 GPA for the semester, the highest ever for the Cardinals. Ten players have an overall GPA of 3.0 or better.
The academic achievement is not new to the Cardinals. UofL's men's basketball team earned the 2010-11 BIG EAST Conference Team Academic Excellence Award, which recognizes the highest collective grade-point averages in each of the conference's 26 sports. The men's basketball team has hovered around a collective 3.0 GPA for seven straight semesters.
"With all of the obligations our guys have to basketball and other matters, they're giving incredible academic effort," said UofL Head Men's Basketball Coach Rick Pitino. "It's a great achievement and I'm really proud of them. (Director of Academic Services) Anthony Wright is one of the best that has ever worked with our players and I'm really proud of his efforts as well."
"I'm really proud of our guys," said Vice-President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich. "It's been an emphasis for Coach Pitino since he came here and it has obviously paid dividends. I know the kids have worked hard and I'm proud of all the effort they invested, as I am with all of our student-athletes."
The Cardinals, ranked No. 4 nationally in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls, are off to their best start in 37 years with a perfect 11-0 record. UofL will face Western Kentucky in the KFC Yum! Center on Friday at 7 p.m. in the 10th Annual Billy Minardi Classic.