Last season, Louisville basketball lost its final regular-season game on February 1. That defeat came in the middle of an impressive 20-1 stretch that ran from mid-December through the ACC Tournament championship. The loss to Georgia Tech was a bit of a head-scratcher, but an undefeated January gave Cardinals fans plenty to celebrate during the cold winter months of early 2025.
Early 2026 tells a different story. Louisville sits at 5-4 in ACC play after losing four games in January. At 15-6 overall, the Cardinals find themselves right in the middle of a deeper, more competitive ACC, where several teams are battling for position behind the league’s elite. Duke and Clemson have picked up right where they left off last season and appear destined to finish atop the standings.
Behind them, the race is wide open. Nine ACC teams currently have between two and five conference losses, with Louisville squarely in the middle at four. With just 10 games remaining, every result down the stretch will carry added weight. If Louisville wants to earn a double bye in the ACC Tournament, they will need to win most—if not all—of their remaining games. To put themselves in the best possible position, here are three must-win games for the Cardinals down the stretch.