Louisville basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament, but the NCAA Tournament Committee robbed the Cardinals. Louisville basketball is just the second team ever to be ranked by the AP Polls as the No. 10 team in the nation but to be a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cardinal's path to the Final Four is going to be a hard one, as Louisville basketball will have to play Creighton in the first round and most likely No. 1 overall seed Auburn in the second round. The top five seeds in the south region are Michigan State, Iowa State, Texas A&M, and Michigan.
Louisville basketball's path doesn't necessarily favor them, but the Cardinals earned a spot in the Big Dance, and Pat Kelsey is going to get this team ready for a deep March run. There are some glaring reasons and stats that favor Louisville basketball in the South region that will lead them to win the South region and make their first Final Four appearance since 2013.
5 crucial reasons Louisville basketball will make an NCAA Tournament Final Four run
Louisville basketball NCAA Tournament journey starts Thursday, March 20, at 12:15 p.m. local time against Creighton. Louisville basketball is destined for a deep playoff run. Here are five crucial reasons Louisville basketball will make an NCAA Tournament Final Four run.
5. History favors Louisville basketball
Louisville basketball has had the biggest turnaround season in the Cardinals' program history. Louisville improved its win total by 19 games compared to the previous record of 13.
The Cardinal's best turnaround seasons came back in 1985-86 and 2004-05. Both of those teams would improve their seasons by 13 wins from the year prior, but then also would go on to make a Final Four run.
The Cardinals 1986 team would even go further and win the whole thing and secure a National Championship. Louisville basketball has had one of the best seasons in program history and has shattered multiple records. This record of securing the program's biggest turnaround seems to be foreshadowing a Final Four run.
4. Louisville basketball's glaring advantage in first two rounds
The Cardinals will play Creighton in the first round, which will be in their backyard. Louisville vs. Creighton will be played in Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. The Cardinals faithful will paint this arena red, and it is expected to be a home game for the Cardinals.
Louisville fans are one of the best in the nation, and 25-strong will have to show out to help Lousiville get a glaring advantage. It would be huge if the Cardinals could get past the Bluejays. Louisville would then go head-to-head, most likely with Auburn. The Tigers have to be mad that they have a chance to play the No. 10 seed in AP polls in the second round just an hour from their home stadium.
3. The Cardinals X-factor will return
Reyne Smith will return to the court and play in the NCAA Tournament. Smith is one of the best lethal shooters in the country and has the ability to take over games; just ask SMU. Against the Mustangs, he splashed a program record of 10 threes and scored 30 points.
Smith is not only a lethal shooter, but he also spaces the entire floor out for this Pat Kelsey offense. The Cardinal's star guards, Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr., like to play some iso basketball and drive and kick. This is a perfect formula for Reyne Smith to find an open spot and trust his teammates will find him.
Louisville basketball's sharpshooter has made 104 threes on the year and averages 3.5 threes per game. The Cardinals' glaring strength is their ability to catch fire, and Reyne Smith is the captain of that boat.
2. Pat Kelsey has this team fired up
Louisville basketball is all over the news today as everyone is stunned by the Cardinal seed. Pat Kelsey went on a local radio show to discuss the NCAA Tournament, and he was brutally honest and said they feel "slighted".
The Cardinals were completley disrespected by the committee, and Louisville basketball is ready to prove to the whole nation they are better than an 8-seed. Kelsey ended his interview saying that they will use this as some motivation, and it will light a little fire in their stomach.
Pat Kelsey and his Cardinals are going to enter the tournament hungry and ready to attack. This Cardinals team is no joke, and the NCAA Tournament committee gave the Louisville basketball team all the motivation they needed.
1. Louisville basketball elite playmakers
They may not be the most well-known, but Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr. have proven their worth. They have been overlooked all season long, and now they are going to have a chance to go up against the best of the best and prove why they are elite.
Chucky Hepburn is the face of this team, as he made First-Team All-ACC and was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Hepburn has the skillset to lock down the opponent's best player and then push the ball up the court and create a shot for himself or facilitate and be unselfish. Hepburn averaged 16 points and 2.5 steals a game.
Terrence Edwards Jr. made the Third-Team All-ACC and has risen late in the season. He is averaging nearly 25 points in March and has scored 20 points or more 13 times this season. Edwards has the ability to get a bucket at any point and be the Cardinals' clutch player when they need him to be.
Edwards averaged 16.6 points while shooting nearly 44 percent from the floor. The dynamic duo of Hepburn and Edwards gives the Cardinals a great chance to compete with anyone in the league.