Louisville basketball fans' emotions were all over the place this Monday morning. The Cardinals' fans were all excited and ready to go, but they weren't really paying attention as Selection Sunday began. They were expecting to hear Lousiville in a few minutes.
Then, all of a sudden, they announced Louisville basketball as an 8-seed, which caught everyone off guard, and jaws dropped in disbelief. Louisville was projected to be around a five-seed or a six-seed, and after their ACC Tournament run, the fans felt pretty confident.
The Cardinals' 27-7 record, 6-6 record against Quad 1 teams, wins over Clemson twice, 21 wins in their last 23 games, ACC runner-up, and many more stats glaringly seem disrespected. Louisville basketball will look to be hungry in the NCAA Tournament, but before we break down their path, let's browse around the NCAA Tournament and realize five teams that got a higher seed that we know Louisville basketball is better than.
5 Teams worse than Louisville basketball despite their NCAA Tournament seed
5. Kansas
The Kansas Jay Hawks are the No. 7 seed in the West region. Kansas finished the season 21-12, not ranked, and were bounced in the second round to Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament. The Jay Hawks lost to West Virginia, a team the Cardinals' beat by nine earlier in the season.
Kansas has some bad losses, as they lost to Kansas State, Utah, and Arizona. The Cardinals only have one loss in the Quad 2 region, and went 12-0 against the Quad 3 and Quad 4 teams. The Cardinals resume speaks way louder than this disappointing Jay Hawks season does.
Kansas | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|
PPG | 76.2 | 78.6 |
OPG | 69.3 | 68.9 |
RPG | 38.5 | 37.4 |
FG% | 47.1% | 45.4% |
3PT% | 35.2% | 33.0% |
4. Saint Mary's
Saint Mary's is the No. 7 seed in the East region. Louisville basketball has a better resume, and the argument of the ACC being bad goes out the window. Saint Mary's is 15 spots behind the Cardinals in strength of record, they have four fewer wins against Quad-1 teams, and their strength of schedule is ranked No. 96 in the nation.
Saint Mary's best win of the season is over Gonzaga, but they also lost to Gonzaga as well, along with San Francisco, Arizona State, and Utah State. The Cardinals not having any bad losses seems to be a major overlook.
Saint Mary's | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|
PPG | 73.5 | 78.6 |
OPG | 60.7 | 68.9 |
RPG | 39.8 | 37.4 |
FG% | 45.5% | 45.4% |
3PT% | 32.3% | 33.0% |
3. Marquette
Marquette is in the same region as Louisville, and are given worse odds to win the South region than the Cardinals. Marquette is currently a +2300 to make it to the Final Four, while Louisville basketball is +1900. Marquette is the No. 7 seed in the South region.
Marquette has an impressive 8-9 Quad 1 record, but the Cardinals' 5-6 record isn't far behind. Louisville basketball comes in ranked 13 spots ahead of Marquette for their strength of record, as the Cardinals' are 27-7, and Marquette is 23-10.
Marquette | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|
PPG | 76.9 | 78.6 |
OPG | 68.5 | 68.9 |
RPG | 34.2 | 37.4 |
FG% | 44.5% | 45.4 |
3PT% | 32.5% | 35.0% |
2. BYU
BYU is one of the better teams on this list, but the Cougars have a much worse strength of record and an overall record of 24-9. BYU suffered losses to Providence by 19, TCU by 14, Utah by 1, and Cincinnati by 18.
These losses should have been eye-openers to the committee when lining them up against a Cardinals' squad that is 6-6 vs Quad 1 teams and 19-1 vs Quad 2, three, and four teams. Louisville's basketball's strength of schedule is being disrespected because of their conference, but BYU lost to multiple teams in the bottom half of the Big 12 by double digits.
BYU | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|
PPG | 81.0 | 78.6 |
OPG | 71.1 | 68.9 |
RPG | 37.4 | 37.4 |
FG% | 48.4% | 45.4 |
3PT% | 37.2% | 35.0% |
1. Clemson
Is this one supposed to be a joke? The Clemson Tigers are a No. 5 seed, and the Lousiville Cardinals are a No. 8 seed. Louisville basketball went 2-0 against the Tigers this season, and have a better record against quality teams, a better strength of record, and a better strength of schedule.
The Cardinals being three seeds behind the Tigers makes zero sense. It is one that the fans are having a field day on, and reasonably so.
Clemson | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|
PPG | 76.3 | 78.6 |
OPG | 65.7 | 68.9 |
RPG | 35.3 | 37.4 |
FG% | 46.5% | 45.4 |
3PT% | 37.2% | 35.0% |
Louisville basketball will have to push the disrespect to the side and use it as motivation. The Cardinals will tip off with Creighton on March 20 at 12:15 p.m. local time from Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.