Louisville basketball finished its regular season this past weekend against Stanford, and their quarterfinals date is officially set for Thursday, March 13.
Pat Kelsey and his Cardinals have the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament, and they will battle with Stanford, Florida State, or Cal in their matchup.
UofL has a 3-0 record against these three programs this season, but it seems to struggle a lot in the ACC Tournament, as it has a 3-8 record since joining the conference.
5 Biggest X-factors for Louisville Basketball Ahead of 2025 ACC Tournament
It is never easy to win in March, and the Cardinals securing a double-bye is a great advantage to let players get healthy, such as Reyne Smith. The Lousiville Cardinals have shown that they are real contenders for the ACC crown as they have broken multiple records this season, including securing 18 conference wins.
The Cardinals ended the regular season on a nine-game win streak and have won 19 of their last 20 games. The Cardinals bench usually runs only about three to four players deep, and role players will be essential if they want to win their first ACC title.
Here are five of Louisville basketball's biggest X-factors heading into the 2025 ACC Tournament.
5. Reyne Smith
Entering the ACC Tournament, the Cardinal's lethal sharpshooter, Reyne Smith, is in a mini-slump.
Smith shot 24-76 from beyond the arc in the last nine games of the regular season, just 31.5%. This is much lower than his season average, as it was close to 40% for most of the season. The Cardinals guard has made 104 threes in the year, the second most in a regular season in Cardinals history, and tied for eighth most in the country this season. He averages 3.5 made threes per game, which is the third most in the nation.
Smith is a vital piece to how successful Louisville will be because of his ability to shoot and draw the defense towards him. He has etched his name in program history as one of the best 3-point shooters off the catch, and in the postseason, the Cardinals will need him to find that lethal shot back.