The latest AP Polls were just released, and the Louisville Cardinals took a massive leap after a chaotic week of college basketball. Week two of the 2025-26 college basketball season had six elite games that were all rank vs rank matchups, and two of those included upsets where two top 15 teams lost. One, of course, was the Cardinals' massive win over the No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats.
Louisville basketball win over Kentucky is one of the biggest wins in college basketball so far, and a key reason the Cardinals jumped six spots in the AP Polls. Louisville is now ranked No. 6 in the nation, the highest ranking since the 2020 season.
BREAKING: College Basketball AP Poll🏀https://t.co/8mgHH1ow7h pic.twitter.com/BwezfesHSX
— On3 (@On3sports) November 17, 2025
Louisville basketball soars into AP Polls top 10
College basketball saw Kentucky, Texas Tech, Alabama, and BYU all lose, helping Louisville soar to No. 6. The Cards' win over Kentucky helped Louisville snap multiple streaks and sent a message to the nation that the Cards are the real deal this season.
The Cardinals snapped their three-game losing streak to Kentucky and are now 4-0, ranked inside the top 10 for the first time since the 2020 season. Louisville has one of the highest odds to win the National Title at +1600, and now, with the Cardinals proving they are a legitimate national contender, the city of Louisville is buzzing with excitement.
Louisville is the second-highest-ranked ACC team in the polls, with Duke ranked No. 5. Rounding out the top five in order are Purdue, Houston, UConn, and Arizona. Just behind of Louisville is ranked No. 7 in Michigan. Other notable teams ranked in the top 25 include Kentucky, which dropped to No. 12 after its loss to Louisville, and North Carolina and North Carolina State, which represent the ACC, with the Tar Heels ranked No. 18 and the Wolfpack ranked No. 25.
The Cardinals will renew a rivalry this week as they will face Cincinnati on Friday, Nov. 21.