ACC Basketball: Best realignment scenarios for each team if conference breaks up
By Joey Loose
Louisville
When the late Denny Crum took over at Louisville over fifty years ago, the Cardinals were still in the MVC. They’ve changed conferences many times in the decades since, with time in the Metro, Conference USA, Big East, and AAC before joining the ACC just under a decade ago. With another move in sight, there’s actually a few intriguing landing spots for the Cardinals that we’ll consider, and we’re not even thinking about a return to the Big East.
Past rumors have indicated interest between Louisville and the Big 12 and it’s a move that makes sense. The state of Kentucky is certainly in the conference’s footprint and helps bridge the gap between Cincinnati and West Virginia and some of the other schools in the Midwest. They’d also form a great regional rivalry with those Bearcats once again.
The Cardinals could certainly also consider the Big Ten, where they aren’t too far from schools like Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio State. These are both very powerful basketball programs, though Louisville might be a better fit in the Big 12 as a whole. Their football program has had some decent success in recent memory and could slide in nicely to a new-look Big 12.