Big 10, SEC Championships decide who Louisville basketball faces in March Madness

The Big 10 and SEC Championships are crucial for Louisville basketball's NCAA Tournament path.
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Louisville basketball jumps up two seeds in Joe Lunardi's updated Bracketology as they are now predicted to be a 6-seed. The Cardinals sit at 27-7 after their loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament Championship game and will now wait until 6 p.m. today for the official bracket to come out.

The Cardinals fans are learning that they will likely be a 5-seed or 6-seed after their win over Clemson. The Cardinals have won 21 of their last 23 games and secured two 10-game winning streaks this season for the first time since 2013.

The Cardinals fans should get their quad boxes ready on their TVs, as Championship Sunday will be crucial for Louisville basketball. The SEC and Big 10 Championship game has a lot on the line for the Cardinals. Right now, Lunardi predicts Louisville to be in the same region as Tennessee and Wisconsin, but if both teams win their respected tournaments, they will make a strong case to move up in the seedings.

Championship Sunday will determine Louisville basketball's path

If the Cardinals are given the 6-seed after Selection Sunday, they would go up against an 11-seed. In this expert's prediction, the Cardinals would get the winner of Vanderbilt vs San Diego State in the 11-seed play-in game.

San Diego State is one team the Cardinals want to avoid in the first-round matchup. The Aztecs are one of the nation's better defenses and are good at playing their type and speed of basketball. This could be a nightmare first round for the Cardinals and would just be a battle early in the NCAA Tournament.

San Diego State has three elite guards who run the show on offense and could cause trouble for the Cardinals. This Aztec team forces around eight turnovers a game, and Louisville basketball fans would enter this matchup a little on edge with the firepower they provide offense, too.

Lunardi then has the No. 3 seed in this region, the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin is currently in the Big 10 Championship game against Michigan, which will take place this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. If the Badgers are able to secure this victory, it is unlikely Wisconsin will not move around in the bracket, but if they lose, they can become an early opponent for Louisville basketball.

Louisville being predicted as the No. 6 seed and Wisconsin as the No. 3 seed would make these two opponents see each other in the round of 32 if both teams avoid an upset in the first round. The Badgers average 80.5 points per game while giving up just 70.8 points per game. They are led by guard John Tonje, who averages 19.8 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting an impressive split of 47.5 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Next, if the Cardinals beat the Badgers, a potential opponent would be the Tennessee Volunteers. The Volunteers are in the SEC Championship game, which will tip off against the Florida Gators at 1 p.m. local time.

The Volunteers and the Cardinals have already seen each other, where Tennessee secured a 77-55 victory. If the Volunteers win, Tennessee fans would be pleading for a 1-seed as they just won the best conference tournament and beat multiple Quad 1 teams. If they lose, they may still be in the Cardinals region as the 2-seed and a potential Sweet Sixteen matchup.

So, a lot is on the line for Louisville basketball today. The Cardinals fans should be glued to their TVs and be all in on these championship games because the Cardinals' Final Four path will determine who wins the Big and SEC Championships, according to Joe Lunardi's Bracketology.