What has happened since Louisville basketball was last ranked?
The wait is finally over. For the first time in 411 days, Louisville basketball is ranked in the top 25.
Louisville sports were as difficult to watch as they have ever been in 2018. Weāve discussed ad nauseam the ridiculousness that was this past year in sports, but there was another rarity that the Louisville basketball achieved: The Cards went an entire year without being ranked in the AP Top 25 (411 days to be exact).
After the Cards fell to Seton Hall at home on December 3rd, 2017- one of many soul-crushing losses that Louisville has been dealt in the past few years- Louisville, under interim head coach David Padgett fell out of the top 25 rankings on December 5th. But, on Monday, Louisville entered the AP poll for the first time since that loss.
A lot has happened since the last time Louisville basketball was ranked. Donāt think so? Letās revisit some of the happenings around Louisville sports since Louisville basketballās last top 25 ranking:
- Donovan Mitchell dunked a lot
- Donovan Mitchell led the Utah Jazz to a playoff series win over Oklahoma City
- Brian Bowen enrolled in a different NCAA institution
- Brian Bowen subsequently un-enrolled from said institution
- Rick Pitino said he wouldnāt ever coach again
- Rick Pitino coached again, like two months later
- Rick Pitino tweets now, FYI
- Also, Blogginā Rick is now Podcast Rick
- One time Louisville commit Anfernee Simons was drafted
Papa JohnāsCardinal Stadium- David Grissom still hasnāt pronounced Neeli Bendipudiās name right
- Speaking of which, Neeli Bendapudi became a national (local) treasure
- Katina Powell Katina Powellād
- Lamar Jackson still hasnāt caught a football during a game, but he did take over for a former Super Bowl MVP and lead a team that was under .500 to the playoffs. NBD.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1082019935516188672
- Louisville football won 2 games. Just gonna gloss over this one.
- Brian VanGorder got ANOTHER job.
- (Brian VanGorder got PROMOTED!!) (??)
- Cort Dennison left Louisville, and made us all very sad
- Cort Dennison came back to Louisville
- Ethan Sprowles (s/o @uoflvillens ) became a household name (Mostly my household)
- Chris Mack landed a top 5 recruiting class
- Louisville finally got itās āMidnight Madnessā in Louisville Live
So, thatās just the tip of the iceberg. A lot has happened around Louisville since December of 2017. 14 months is the longest Louisville has gone without being ranked since Rick Pitinoās arrival in 2001.
This speaks more to the sustained success in Louisville than anything else. Mostly, however, itās an opportunity for those around Louisville to stop and appreciate what we have. We can complain about our top 3 attendance, beer prices, and other trivial things like rankings. In the end, we are incredibly blessed to support a program that is so strong that we feel lost outside of the top 25.
Relish this moment and donāt take it for granted. The ACC cannibalizes every year. For example, Virginia Tech and Florida State have been ranked in the top 25 all year and both teams sit at or near the bottom of the conference. Louisville will take some lumps, and thereās no guarantee this stay is permanent. However, the way things are trending under Chris Mack, donāt expect to see too many more 411 day droughts.