Louisville basketball ACC Tournament journey tips off tonight from the Spectrum Center in North Carolina.
The Cardinals are set to play Stanford at 7:00 p.m. in the quarterfinals. Louisville secured a program-best 18-2 ACC record and a 25-6 overall record. This season, Louisville had 15 wins by 10 points or more against its ACC opponents.
The Big Dance is just days away, as Selection Sunday is Sunday, March 16. The Cardinals are bouncing all over the place from a 6-seed to an 8-seed. Pat Kelsey and his squad have an impressive resume: They have a 4-5 record against Quad 1 teams, a 9-1 record against Quad 2 teams, and a 12-0 record against Quad 3 and 4 teams.
While that resume is good, Louisville can skyrocket in the NCAA Tournament seedings. We will break down just how high the Cardinals can be in the NCAA Tournament and what they need to do to receive that seeding.
How Louisville basketball can secure a four-seed in NCAA Tournament
The Cardinals average seed right now according to the 2025 Bracket Matrix is a 6.19.
So, with Lousiville's project to be a 6-seed, most likely, the glaring question is how the Cardinals can secure a four-seed. The ACC might not be a top conference this year, as only five teams are projected to make March Madness, but it does have three teams in the AP Polls top 15, including the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils.
The Cardinal's path to an ACC title would be a challenging path that would solidify their resume and cause them to jump into one of the NCAA Tournament No. 4 seeds. Louisville's first opponent will be against either Stanford or Cal, as both are a Quad 3 team, so this won't impress their resume. However, after the quarterfinal matchup, Louisville can compete against two Quad 1 opponents, Clemson and Duke.
The best chance for Louisville to move up to a four-seed in the NCAA Tournament is to conquer the beast and defeat both Clemson and Duke in their quest for their first-ever ACC Tournament title. The Cardinals would play Clemson in the semifinals on March 14. Clemson is ranked No. 10 in the AP polls, as they have a 26-5 record and an 18-2 ACC record. Clemson is ranked No. 15 in ESPN's BPI ranking and has a 4-2 record against Quad 1 teams. The Cardinals defeated Clemson earlier this season 74-64.
Clemson is projected to be a No. 4 seed by most and has an average of 4.55 seed, according to Basketball Matrix. If the Cardinals squeak past Clemson and then have an ACC title matchup with the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, then the Cardinals would have a prime opportunity to move up to a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cardinals rematch with Duke would be challenging, but if the Cardinals get it done, Louisville should etch their names as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Duke is ranked No. 1 in all rankings, has the No. 3 best strength of record, and an impressive 7-3 record against Quad 1 teams. A win over Duke and a future No. 1 seed in the Big Dance would be monumental for Pat Kelsey and Lousiville's resume and would make the Cardinals skyrocket up to a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Louisville basketball has a prime opportunity to improve its resume and solidify itself as an NCAA Tournament contender. While defeating Clemson and Duke would be challenging, it would be best for Lousiville to move up in the seedings, and would cause them to be 6-5 against Quad 1 teams.