5. The potential for a tough matchup comes with the first game
With Louisville locking in the No. 6 seed in the ACC tournament, a winner-takes-all matchup is a real possibility for the Cardinals' first game. The SMU Mustangs will play a reeling Syracuse Orange team on Tuesday in a matchup that could force a 3rd game between the Mustangs and the Cards. The Mustangs are limping into the tournament on a 4-game losing streak, one that was capped off by a 91-78 loss to the Florida State Seminoles in the final game of the season.
Louisville took care of SMU at home in late January, 88-74. The Mustangs returned the favor just a few weeks later with a 95-85 win themselves. The rubber match is set for the ACC tournament to determine which matchup better represents these two teams. SMU’s Boopie Miller is bound to be ready to pull off the upset, as the Cardinals struggled to contain him in SMU’s win with his 23-point performance. This will be a key matchup to watch (so long as SMU takes care of Syracuse) to see if Louisville can start its postseason on a high note.