Louisville basketball: Three takeaways from loss to Florida State

Louisville falls in the ACC standings but still should feel good about postseason play

To me, there’s nothing more disappointing about the outcome of Monday nights loss to Florida State than the fact that the ACC regular-season championship would have essentially been wrapped up for Louisville had they been able to hold off Florida State’s rally in the second half thanks to beating Duke earlier in the year.

The first half would’ve led you to believe that the Cards knew what they were playing for. They knew how much that game meant to not only their regular season, but potential post-season seeding and it showed it their effort. You saw guys diving for loose balls, giving 100 percent effort on defense, swinging the ball around, and playing with a level of toughness and physicality we haven’t seen all season.

The second half went much differently as Louisville ultimately crumbled and it likely lost them any chance at contending for the title and the coveted number one overall seed in the ACC Tournament.

So now what?

Well, thankfully due to the down year across the league the Cards will be seeded no worse than third – guaranteeing them a much-needed double-bye. Even with Louisville losing three games over to a week period, they still hold a 14-4 record and essentially a two-game lead over the next closest team in the standings in Virginia, who they’ll go head-to-head with next week.

That’s good, right?

Right.

There will obviously be some movement in the standings with two games remaining on the schedule, but all things considered, the Cards will likely get a quarterfinal matchup against a team they’ve already beaten. After multiple days of rest and preparation that would mean they would have to win just one game before advancing to the next round where they’d get a matchup with Duke or Florida State. It sounds easier said than done, especially considering Louisville’s lost to a few teams they could have to face again, but with how this team has played as a whole all season I would tend to lean towards them advancing to the semi-final and once you’re there, anything can happen.

Advancing deep into the tournament alone will be a confidence booster in itself, but it will also put Louisville on a huge stage nationally and give us a better idea of who they really are when the pressure is on. Monday night’s loss should be an eye-opener and hopefully motivate his team, and with Chris Mack getting time to get his team healthy, rested, time together on the practice court and a game to build confidence and we’re talking about the potential to spark a run by a veteran-laden group in the NCAA Tournament.