Louisville basketball is coming off a huge conference win over the SMU Mustangs as the Cardinals dominated the second half, outscoring the Mustangs 44-27. Pat Kelsey helped guide this team to overcome a slow start, as Louisville trailed by 12 points in the first half.
Louisville improves its conference record to 5-4, and with the Cardinals facing favorable matchups this week against Notre Dame and Wake Forest, many fans are hoping Louisville can rattle off a bit of a streak in these final 10 games. The Cardinals are currently hanging inside the AP top 25 at No. 24, as that SMU win was a big boost for their resume after they lost by 31 to Duke.
So, after an impressive 14-point win over SMU, and the Cardinals staying inside the AP top 25, let's break down the latest Bracketology update for the Louisville Cardinals and the ACC.
Louisville Cardinals latest Bracketology update
The Louisville Cardinals are standing as the No. 6 seed in multiple updated Bracketology predictions, but in this update, we will go off of Joe Lunardi’s and The Field of 68's latest Bracketology. The Cardinals are ranked as a No. 6 seed in both projections.
The Cards are the No. 6 seed in the West region in both projections. In Lunardi’s, they project them to face the play-in winner between Texas and Ohio State, and in the Field of 68, they project Kelsey to face UCLA. Louisville climbed up the seedings after their SMU win as the Cards fell as low to an 8-seed in some Bracketologies after their 31-point loss, but that gritty win over SMU gave the Cardinals a nice resume boost to put them back at this 6-seed where they have been for quite some time.
Louisville will have opportunities to move up in the seedings as they will face North Carolina State, North Carolina, Clemson, SMU, and Miami in their final 10 games. The Cards have two ranked games on the road with the Tar Heels and Tigers, and have a chance to beat projected NCAA Tournament teams with the Wolfpack, Hurricanes, and Mustangs.
So, with that said, now let's break down the rest of the ACC and where they stand in these two Bracketology projections.
ACC Bracketology update
- Duke Blue Devils (20-1; ACC, 9-0) - Duke is projected to be the No. 1 seed in the East region in both brackets.
- Clemson Tigers (18-4; ACC, 8-1) - Clemson dropped in the seedings after their loss to North Carolina State. The Tigers are now projected to be a No. 6 seed in Lunardi’s bracket and a No. 7 seed in the Field of 68’s bracket.
- Virginia Cavaliers (18-3; ACC, 7-2) - Virginia is still projected to be a No. 5 seed in both brackets.
- North Carolina State Wolfpack (16-6; ACC, 7-2) - The Wolfpack have rattled off four straight and are now projected as an 8-seed in both brackets.
- North Carolina Tar Heels (18-4; ACC, 6-3). North Carolina ranks No. 14 in the AP Polls and are a No. 6 seed in Lunardi’s bracket and a No. 5 seed in the Field of 68’s bracket.
- Miami Hurricanes (17-5; ACC, 6-3) - Miami lost to Cal and Florida State, dropping them to a No. 11 seed in both brackets. The Hurricanes are currently on the bubble in both brackets as they are projected to play in the play-in game in the Field of 68 and are in Lunardi’s Last Four Byes.
- SMU Mustangs (15-6; ACC, 4-4) - After the Mustangs loss to the Cardinals, they dropped to the No. 9 seed in both brackets.
- Virginia Tech Hokies (16-7 and 5-5) - Virginia Tech is fighting for a spot in the tournament as they are on the bubble and are the first team listed in Lunardi’s First Four Out, but are projected as a No. 11 seed in the Field of 68’s bracket.
- California Golden Bears: (16-6 and 4-5) - Cal is listed on Lunardi’s Bubble as they are behind the Hokies on his First Four Out.