Louisville basketball fell short in the 2026 ACC Tournament after the Cardinals lost to Miami 78-73. The Cards' loss in the quarterfinals is quite disappointing for Louisville fans, as they entered the season with Final Four expectations and ACC Title expectations. However, after today’s loss in the quarterfinals, Louisville fans made it clear they have lowered their expectations for the NCAA Tournament.
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Louisville basketball fans lower March Madness expectations after Miami loss
With Louisville’s ACC Tournament run concluded this afternoon, the Cards will now turn their focus to Selection Sunday. Louisville is trending toward a 6-seed, but after last year's disaster and being an 8-seed after ranking No. 10 in the AP Polls entering Selection Sunday, Louisville fans are concerned about what seed they will be.
And with Selection Sunday just three days away and Louisville getting bounced relatively early in the ACC Tournament, the Cards fans make it clear just how far they realistically believe this team can go.
Round of 32
— craig wheatley (@icwheat) March 12, 2026
One and done. No matter the match up.
— Jason-CardsFan (@JasonCardsFan) March 12, 2026
Win one game, hopefully two but would take a favorable draw/matchup. Anything more than that would be pretty shocking
— Tennis World (@TennisWrld) March 12, 2026
Cardinals fans, for the most part, made it clear they believe the ceiling is the Sweet 16, but many believe they are likely to be either one-and-done or to make it to the Round of 32. The Cards fans are incredibly disappointed with the season, and while anything is possible in March, the Cardinals' history against ranked teams and in Quad 1A games makes it feel like the odds are stacked against them.
Louisville entered the season with the sixth-best odds to win the NCAA Tournament and was once ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation. However, after Louisville’s exit from the ACC Tournament on day three, and with many fans thinking the Cards are going to lose in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the fans are making it clear that this season has been underwhelming and disappointing.
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