Louisville basketball’s 2025-26 regular season concluded on a high note as the Cardinals secured a massive road victory over the No. 22 Miami Hurricanes. It was a scary finish as the Cardinals and Hurricanes were going back and forth in the final minutes, but Adrian Wooley splashed a step-back 3-pointer to put the Cardinals up two with just 18 seconds remaining, and that sealed the win.
Louisville's win over Miami just gave the Cardinals the perfect ACC Tournament path
Louisville’s season was quite the roller coaster, but one game that the fans will certainly not forget is the Cardinals' huge win over their in-state rival, the Kentucky Wildcats. Both teams haven’t quite lived up to their preseason expectations, to put it nicely, as both had Final Four and National Title expectations.
But, while both teams had disappointing regular seasons, college basketball legend Dick Vitale just ripped the Wildcats and Mark Pope, and every Louisville basketball fan is reading this quote and smiling ear to ear.
Dick Vitale just ripped Kentucky and Louisville fans loved it
Kentucky went viral this offseason when it was reported the Wildcats spent an insane $22 million on its 2025-26 roster. The Wildcats added five 4-star transfers this offseason, along with two 5-star 2025 commitments and two 4-star 2025 commitments, but the season has just been incredibly disappointing for the Cats.
Louisville fans are loving every second of it, as they get to watch their in-state rival struggle, ending the regular season 19-12 after paying a crazy $22 million. And now, as the regular season comes to an end, Vitale just ripped Pope and the Wildcats, and Louisville fans absolutely loved it.
"I'm gonna say this right here... win or lose. I've done several Kentucky games now. Win or lose, $22 million this team is, according to reports, is the NIL for their players. With $22 million, they could have put together a better roster than they did.""Dick Vitale
Kentucky has lost five of its last seven, including two straight by double digits. With this recent skid, Kentucky is now trending to be a 7-seed, while Louisville is almost a lock to be a 6-seed at the moment. Hearing a legend like Vitale rip the Wildcats makes this Saturday even sweeter for Louisville fans, as the Cardinals first secured a huge road victory, and now their biggest rival is getting blasted by a college basketball Hall of Famer.
The Cardinals will now seed hunt in the ACC Tournament and try to secure more Quad 1A wins as they will likely face SMU in the second round, and if they win that, they face Miami in the quarterfinals, possibly Virginia in the semifinals, and then Duke and UNC stand tall on the other side of the bracket.
Related: Pat Kelsey gives passionate message as Louisville basketball eyes a strong finish
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.