Louisville basketball is currently 2-0, with their gauntlet of a stretch about to start. The Cardinals travel to Memphis this weekend, and then the Player’s Era Tournament will start with UofL facing No. 16 Texas Tech. Following the Player’s Era event, they will then face No. 7 Texas, No. 20 Michigan, and No. 24 Kentucky.
Louisville’s 5-star freshman Obinna Ekezie Jr. is already generating major NBA Draft buzz
So, with the Cardinals' crazy stretch here and Louisville not ducking the smoke, we wanted to break down where Joe Lunardi has the Cardinals in his latest Bracketology.
Louisville earns 3-seed before its brutal stretch of games
Louisville currently ranks No. 10 in the nation, which would mean they should be around a 2-3 seed, and that is just where they are. Lunardi projects Louisville to be a 3-seed, as he has them in the South region and projects them to face 14-seed Harvard.
With the Cardinals projected as a 3-seed, Louisville certainly has areas to climb, and they can prove they can be a Final Four contender and a top team in the nation with this gauntlet stretch. Louisville’s first test is going to be on the road against Memphis, which recently upset Iowa State, and is now projected to be a 13-seed.
Following the Cardinals' run in the Player’s Era Tournament, they then face Texas, who is projected as a 3-seed, Michigan, who is projected as a 6-seed, and Kentucky, who is projected as a 7-seed. The Cardinals certainly aren’t ducking the smoke with this non-conference schedule, and the good news is Kelsey has multiple chances to earn quality wins and prove this team is different than last year's team.
Louisville struggled against ranked opponents, but the Cardinals believe this is the year they get over the hump, as they showed they can beat great teams when they defeated Kansas on the road in the preseason.
Other notable teams projected in Lunardi’s South Region bracket include 1-seed Illinois, 2-seed Houston, 4-seed St. John’s, 5-seed Tennessee, and 6-seed Michigan. This would mean that, if this were the case and both teams won, the Cardinals and the Wolverines would have a rematch in the Round of 32. Other ACC teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament include, 1-seed Duke, 2-seed Virginia, 5-seed Miami, 8-seed North Carolina, 11-seed Clemson, and 12-seed NC State.
Louisville has real Final Four dreams this year, and the Cardinals projected as a 3-seed after Week 1 is a good sign that this team is earning the respect they deserve. Now they must win some big-time games to prove they are the real deal and can truly contend for a national title.
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