Louisville basketball just had its biggest statement win of the season last night, and the Cardinals fans are buzzing with excitement again. The Cards have rattled off four straight wins, including a dominant 41-point victory over North Carolina State.
While North Carolina State isn’t a ranked team, the Wolfpack are trending toward the NCAA Tournament, as they currently sit at 17-7 with a 9-3 ACC record. Louisville secured another marquee Quad 1 win and will gain ground, as they are now just one game back from the double-bye in the ACC Tournament.
However, the story of last night is that Louisville's true potential for March was just raised. The Cardinals saw a version of this team they had never seen before, and it was all thanks to this lethal backcourt.
Related: 4 massive takeaways from Louisville basketball's win over North Carolina State
Louisville basketball fans are dreaming big again
Before the Cardinals' dominant win over North Carolina State, the fanbase's vibe was that this team would likely exit the first or second round of the NCAA Tournament. Louisville has a 1-4 record against the current top 25 and has lost by an average of 15 points. On top of those four games, they also lost by 21 to a Tennessee team that has been bouncing in and out of the top 25.
However, after last night, the fans have a completely different feeling for this team. Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell combined for 76 points last night, including Brown’s historic 45 points, which tied the program's single-game record and broke the ACC freshman record.
With these two guards clicking and showcasing how elite their duo can be, Louisville fans are quickly beginning to think this team is poised for a run once again. In a recent poll, Cardinals fans made it clear they think this team is going deeper than the Round of 32 now, with the majority of voters predicting Louisville will make it to the Elite 8 or the Final Four.
What is Louisville’s ceiling?
— Big Red Louie (@TheBigRedLouie) February 10, 2026
Brown and Conwell unlocked a whole new ceiling for this team after last night's win, and Cardinals fans are making that clear, confident this team can make a run in March. The Cardinals' current Final Four odds are listed as +1500, according to FanDuel, which ranks No. 20 in the nation.
The Cards' dominant duo untapped a whole new ceiling for this team after their win last night, and while the reality is Brown and Conwell won’t combine for 76 every night, this duo can definitely lead this team to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament or maybe even the Final Four.