It is officially March, which means only one thing for college basketball fans across the country: tournament season is upon us. The sights, the calls, the triumph of victory, the agony of defeat all come to the forefront for a short few weeks as teams survive and advance their way through the final brackets decided on Selection Sunday. It’s a wonderful time to be a college basketball fan, especially if your team happens to be talented enough to participate in this rich postseason tradition.
The Louisville basketball team currently sits at 20-9 on the season, which has many projecting them as a 6- or 7-seed in the NCAA tournament. Although being in the NCAA tournament seemed like a far-off dream just a couple of seasons ago, times have quickly shifted back to reality for Cards fans who hope to see their team make a long March run. For most of this season, Louisville has seemed like a dominant team poised to be a contender in the tournament as March approaches. However, their recent stumbles and mishaps have fans hoping a nightmare scenario they experienced last year does not happen again.
Louisville basketball's late stumble raises serious March concern
It was a major shock not only to Card Nation but also to many media outlets that followed the sport last season when the Louisville Cardinals were selected as an 8 seed in the NCAA tournament. It was a tough pill to swallow after the Cardinals had an inspiring bounce-back season. As Louisville continues to struggle to find its footing entering March, many Cards fans are nervous that more losses could lead to the same result.
The recent losses to North Carolina and Clemson were brutal just because of that. These games could have put any lingering thoughts about this scenario to rest. However, these losses open the possibility of an 8- or 9-seed once again, which would all but ruin any chance of Louisville finding a path to a long March run.
It’s not impossible for Louisville to find a spark and take this team and their fans back to the promised land of a national championship. However, being seeded as an 8 or a 9 seed with the likes of a Duke, Michigan, or Arizona waiting for you in the Round of 32 just seems like a pretty tall task to overcome. These next 2 games and the ACC tournament will be absolutely crucial for Louisville to avoid an unwanted path to the Sweet Sixteen. Immense pressure now sits on the Cardinals' shoulders to take care of business and make sure that Louisville stays where they want to be, at a 5 or 6 seed.