Louisville basketball joined the ACC back in 2014 and has been one of the top programs in the conference since then. However, Pat Kelsey and his 2025-26 Cardinals eye something that the program has never been able to accomplish since joining the ACC, and some are finally thinking this year, Louisville ends its drought.
The Cardinals have yet to win the ACC regular-season Title or the ACC Tournament Title. Last season was the first year Louisville ever made it to the ACC Championship game, and college basketball expert Terrence Oglesby just predicted Louisville to claim its first-ever ACC Title and to finish at the top of the conference.
Related: Bold Louisville basketball prediction has Cardinals fans screaming Final Four or bust
Louisville basketball picked over the Duke Blue Devils
Oglesby giving the nod to the Cardinals over the Duke Blue Devils is exactly what Louisville fans want to see as they count down until the season begins. This is considered to be a pretty big hot take, as the Blue Devils are the favorites to win the ACC and one of the top favorites for the National title.
While Duke is loaded with freshman talent and has the No. 1 2025 recruiting class, the Cardinals are bringing experienced veterans, elite international players, and the No. 1 point guard in the 2025 class, Mikel Brown Jr.
WAY TOO EARLY @theACC 🏀 prediction
— Terrence Oglesby (@T_Oglesby22) August 13, 2025
Tough at the top between Duke/Louisville
LET'S ALL BE RATIONAL ABOUT THIS
1 Louisville
2 Duke
3 NC State
4 North Carolina
5 WF
6 Miami
7 Clemson
8 Pitt
9 SMU
10 Virginia
11 VT
12 ND
13 Syracuse
14 Cal
15 GT
16 Stanford
17 FSU
18 BC
Louisville and Duke are set to battle it out for that top spot this upcoming season, and Oglesby honestly couldn't go wrong with who he put at No. 1 or No. 2 as long as it was Louisville or Duke in those two spots. Luckily for the fans of the sport, the Cardinals and Blue Devils are playing each other twice this season.
These two blockbuster showdowns are instantly must-watch TV as both programs are expected to not only contend for the ACC Title, but the National Title as well. North Carolina State, North Carolina, and Wake Forest round out Oglesby's top five, and Miami, Clemson, Pitt, SMU, and Virginia round out the top 10.
The Cardinals and the Blue Devils are going to be instant classic showdowns this upcoming season. Louisville will have a tall task going up against Jon Scheyer's Blue Devils, but last year, Louisville took a massive leap forward, and it appears this is the year Louisville fans can finally see red, white, and black confetti pour down from the Spectrum Center and the Cardinals cut the nets down for the first time in program history.
Related: Louisville’s newest star teases one skill that will make him Pat Kelsey’s top threat
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason, stay tuned.