Louisville has clear path to climb after NCAA Tournament Committee’s top 16 seeds

Louisville basketball just defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, marking the Cardinals' 20th win of the season and their 9th in their conference schedule. Louisville shot the ball exceptionally well all afternoon on this Saturday, shooting 52 percent from the field, 45 percent from beyond the arc, and going an impressive 19-of-20 from the charity stripe.

Louisville will now turn its focus to its marquee matchup with North Carolina, as the Cardinals and Tar Heels will tip off Monday night in Chapel Hill. This road game has huge implications for many reasons: these two teams are tied in the ACC standings and fighting for that No. 4 seed, and it's a huge game that could give the winner a resume boost.

On Saturday, the NCAA Tournament Committee released its top 16 teams and their seeds, and while the Cardinals weren’t listed, they saw that there is still a path to enter this group.

Louisville basketball has a clear path to enter the top-16

The ACC had two representatives in these top 16 teams, with Duke currently a No. 1 seed and Virginia the last No. 4 seed. Right now, Louisville is projected to be around a 5-seed or 6-seed after earning its 17-point win over Georgia Tech, but after seeing the top 16 teams revealed and Virginia making the cut, Louisville has a path to climb up these seedings.

The Cardinals currently have three huge games left on their schedule in UNC, Clemson, and Miami. With all three games coming on the road, if the Cardinals can find a way to stay hot and take care of business and win out, this Cardinals team would be trending in the right direction to be in the 4-seed or 5-seed conversation entering the ACC Tournament.

The Cardinals are getting UNC and Clemson at the perfect time, as these two games were considered marquee road games, but all of a sudden, North Carolina is without its best player in Caleb Wilson, and the Tigers have lost four straight, making it seem like Louisville has a solid chance to earn these marquee road wins.

Now, the important part is they stay hot and make a run in the ACC Tournament. If Louisville wants to earn a 4-seed or maybe even a 3-seed, the Cardinals would have to win out and return to the ACC Championship game. Returning to the ACC Championship game likely means they have a revenge game with Virginia, who Cardinals fans just learned is a 4-seed as of today.

Going 4-0 in these last four regular-season games and then winning two games in the ACC Tournament isn’t going to be easy, but with the Cardinals' seed hunting and trying to get red-hot before the NCAA Tournament, Louisville has a clear path to continue to climb in these seedings.

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