Four games in, there’s a buzz in the air about the sky-high potential of this year’s Louisville basketball team. No. 2 in the nation, no. 1 in our hearts. The Cards are for real.
Everything is going right for Louisville sports fans, and this is something that the fanbase deserves after a tumultuous last few years in some of our major sports. Lamar Jackson has blossomed into an NFL superstar quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, the Louisville football team is bowl eligible and on pace to finish second in the ACC’s Atlantic Division, and the Louisville basketball team is now ranked second in the nation in Chris Mack’s second season at the helm. The last time the Cards were ranked this high in the AP Poll came when they went all the way to win the 2013 national championship, or at least that’s how I remember it.
The young basketball season will continue for the Cards on Wednesday night when they host the South Carolina Upstate Spartans for yet another game in the Global Sports Shootout. While the rival in Lexington continues to squeak by their opponents, Louisville has never really looked out of rhythm thus far in 2019. They’ve won all four of their games by double-digits and have scored over 80 points in three of those games. Their early season rampage continued on Sunday evening as they dominated North Carolina Central in an 87-58 victory.
The Cards are not looking fazed by any of the preseason hype, and they actually might be motivated by some of it. After all, they were voted to finish behind Duke and North Carolina in the preseason ACC poll. None of that matters, however.
Through four games, the Cards have displayed some strengths, weaknesses, and some things that are in-between. A few players, in particular, have stood out to me as well. It’s incredibly early on, but let’s look at an early-season review for the Louisville basketball squad.
*All stats are courtesy of NCAA.com, KenPom.com, and TeamRankings.com*