Louisville basketball is 4-0 and is ranked No. 6 in the nation for the first time since 2020. This Cardinals team last played Saturday, November 15, when Louisville dominated Ohio 106-81. The Cards will now look to face an old rival, the Cincinnati Bearcats, tomorrow evening from the Heritage Bank Center.
This is the Cards' first game away from the KFC Yum! Center, and it will mark a true test on the road. Entering this showdown, Louisville is considered one of the best teams in the nation, with the fifth-highest odds to win the 2026 National Title, and ESPN ranked them No. 5 in its latest power rankings.
Well, ESPN updated those power rankings this morning, and while Louisville dropped, it can still claim the top team in the ACC.
Related: ESPN power rankings put an ACC giant in the top five and it is not Duke
Louisville remains the top team in ESPN ACC Power Rankings
Jeff Borzello recently updated his ESPN Power Rankings, and Cardinals fans saw Pat Kelsey and his Louisville Cardinals fall to No. 6. Louisville was off all week, and with Alabama's recent win over Illinois, the Tide jumped the Cardinals.
However, the good news is he still has Louisville at the top of the ACC as the Duke Blue Devils jumped to No. 7 after their win over Kansas, but he didn't put them over Louisville.
"Amid all the hype surrounding Mikel Brown Jr. and the Louisville guards, the Cardinals are also getting incredible mileage out of their unheralded frontcourt. Germany native Sananda Fru has been quietly one of the best international additions of the season, scoring in double-figures in three of four games and averaging 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds through the first couple weeks."Jeff Borzello
The ACC had a huge letdown year last season, but with Louisville, North Carolina, and North Carolina State taking massive leaps forward, the conference is in much better shape. And in Borzello's eyes, Louisville is slightly ahead of Duke through four games.
A freshman leads both ACC squads, and both are immediately the frontrunners for the ACC Rookie of the Year. Cameron Boozer and Mikel Brown Jr. are turning heads immediately, and with these two teams playing each other twice in January, it will create a fun ACC race.
Louisville and Duke both have wins over ranked teams: Louisville beat Kentucky, and Duke beat Kansas. This ACC race is going to be fun to watch throughout the season, and with Duke and Louisville both playing Arkansas, and Duke playing Florida and Louisville playing Tennessee, these two fan bases are going to learn a lot about their team before the first showdown on January 6.