Louisville Basketball: 5 reasons why Cardinals will win ACC title in 2019-20
By Neil Adler
Battle-tested for a tough docket
Regardless of whether the conference is actually better or worse as compared to other recent campaigns, the Cardinals’ performance from 2018-19 signifies that Louisville has the capability to play even with – and beat – foes at a primo level, in the ACC and nationally as well.
The aforementioned conquering of the Spartans, and a demolition of the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, N.C., aptly illustrated the Cardinals’ potential. Louisville also prevailed on the road versus the Hokies and Seton Hall.
While losses are losses, the Cardinals fought to the bitter end in tight setbacks to, among others, the Cavaliers, Duke and the Seminoles, as well as to Marquette and Tennessee in the non-conference slate. The essential point to instill with this framework is that Louisville has traveled through the trenches, and the Cardinals have emerged as a well-prepared squad that can give their opponents a plethora of headaches in 2019-20.
It’s imperative that Louisville has this type of track-record because it will surely need it if the Cardinals want to snag the league’s regular-season banner in a couple of months. The schedule which Louisville will encounter is, to put it mildly, daunting.
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The Cardinals’ ACC adversaries will feature the Blue Devils, Florida State twice, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia twice and the Wolfpack. Then, in the out-of-conference calendar, Louisville has to deal with Kentucky, a pre-season top-five crew, 2019 NCAA Tournament finalist Texas Tech, and Big Ten Conference bruiser Michigan.
That, my friends, is harsh. Still, there is a lot to get enthusiastic about as it pertains to the Cardinals in 2019-20, and Louisville’s chance to obtain ACC glory is nothing short of fantastic.