Louisville basketball is taking on Georgia Tech this afternoon, and the Cardinals are dominant favorites. ESPN Matchup Predictor gives Louisville an over 96 percent chance of winning this game, while FanDuel has the Cardinals as 22.5-point favorites.
The Cardinals are coming off a loss to SMU on the road, and while that would have been a marquee win, Louisville is still considered one of the top teams in the nation. Recently, national media conducted a mock selection for the NCAA Tournament, ranking the Cardinals as the No. 20 overall seed and giving them a No. 5 seed against High Point in the first round.
However, while that selection gave the Cardinals a favorable draw, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi isn’t doing the same. ESPN’s Bracketologist updated his bracket, and Louisville's loss to SMU caused the Cardinals to drop in the seeding.
Louisville basketball falls in latest Backetology
Lunardi recently updated his bracket, and the Cardinals were dropped from a 5-seed to a 6-seed. Louisville’s loss to SMU certainly hurts in the moment, and it makes a big difference for their path to the Final Four, as Lunardi now projects them to play the winner of Missouri vs SMU, and then, if they win that game, they would have a huge showdown with Kansas.
Louisville sits 19-7 on the season, and with just five games remaining, the Cardinals are in dire need of a push. Louisville has Georgia Tech this afternoon, then plays North Carolina on Monday, followed by Clemson on Saturday, and ends the season against Miami.
So, while the Cardinals dropped to the No. 6 seed in Lunardi’s projection, Louisville still has huge opportunities to climb. If the Cardinals can find a way to win out and make a run in the ACC Tournament, their ceiling for seeding is a 3-seed or 4-seed if they reach the ACC Championship game.
However, if the Cardinals' road game struggles continue and lay an egg in the ACC Tournament, this team is most likely a 6-seed or a 7-seed. This final stretch is crucial for the Cardinals, and they must find a way to get hot again. The path to the Final Four is much more favorable for a 3-seed or 4-seed than for a 5-seed, 6-seed, or 7-seed.
So, there is a lot to play for in these final five games, and with the Cardinals having opportunities against three NCAA Tournament teams, and three teams ahead of them in the ACC standings, Louisville’s NCAA Tournament seeding ceiling is much higher than the No. 6 seed Lunardi has them at right now.
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