Louisville basketball fans are just one game behind Duke for the regular-season ACC Title, and while some think there is no chance the Cardinals can claim the crown and secure history, it isn't as big of a reach as some may think.
Louisville basketball first has to take care of their business Saturday afternoon at noon, from KFC Yum! Center against Stanford and secure their 25th victory of the season, 18th win in ACC play, and their ninth straight win, and 19 wins in last 20 games.
The Cardinals currently have an 86.7% chance to beat Stanford on Saturday, according to ESPN. So, if Louisville basketball can keep this historic run going, then they need one last domino to fall their way, and they will secure history once more. They will become the ACC regular-season champions.
Why Louisville basketball fans must root for North Carolina on Saturday
What has to happen? It's simple. North Carolina must win.
Well, that isn't easy, but it is easy to understand. Louisville must win, Duke must lose, and then the Cardinals will claim the crown and the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament.
The full breakdown on how Louisville can secure the ACC regular season crown is broken down here. But the short version is that Clemson doesn't mean anything if Louisville wins and Duke loses. After going through all the tiebreakers, the Cardinals would secure the regular-season crown over Duke and Clemson because of the second tiebreaker.
The first tiebreaker is of course head-to-head, but as many know, that doesn't mean anything as if Louisville wins, Clemson win, and Duke loses, then the Cardinals, Tigers and Blue Devils will all be 18-2 in the ACC and all would be tied in head-to-head, as Louisville beat Clemson, Clemson beat Duke, and Duke beat Louisville.
So, the second tiebreaker is lining up the three teams and when going down the ACC standings, whoever suffered a loss to the highest winning percentage team first, it comes to whoever has the best record against that team. So, in this case, if Duke loses to UNC Saturday, then Duke has a .500 record against the Tar Heels, while Louisville and Clemson both are undefeated, meaning Duke is now the No. 3 seed since they have the worst percentage.
Afterward, it comes down to a head-to-head again, and the Cardinals defeated the Tigers, meaning Louisville basketball will be the ACC regular-season champions and No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament.
This is the only case in which the Cardinals can secure the ACC crown. So Louisville basketball fans will be North Carolina's biggest fans for the day, as the heated rival showdown will be at 6:30 p.m. local time.
It is still a stretch, but it is a rivalry showdown, and nothing is given in March. The game is going to be played at Dean Smith Center, and UNC is fighting for a double-bye and a chance to make the NCAA Tournament.
In the last 10 matchups UNC holds a 6-4 record against Duke, and in the last 8 matchups at home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina is 5-3, including their last home game against Duke, which was a win back in 2023.
So, UofL fans first defeat Stanford, and then let's hope North Carolina can shock the world and beat Duke, and Pat Kelsey and Louisville will secure their first ACC regular season title.