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ACC Basketball: Ranking all 18 programs after additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU

By Tristan Freeman

Feb 5, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase during the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase during the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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ACC Basketball Louisville Cardinals head coach Kenny Payne Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
ACC Basketball Louisville Cardinals head coach Kenny Payne Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Louisville Cardinals

To be clear, this is an ACC Basketball long-term program power ranking, not one solely about next season. And whether they won four total games of 24 last season, Louisville will always remain on the most appealing jobs in all of college basketball. Still, I can’t put them at the top until they figure out what to do with Coach Kenny Payne.

It was the worst first-year a coach could imagine, going 4-28 and having a bunch of embarrassing blowout losses. And recent offseason news hasn’t gone the Cardinals’ way, as five-star freshman guard Trentyn Flowers has opted to go pro overseas, while four-star incoming point guard Ty-Laur Johnson may or may not be academically eligible to play this season.

Either way, Louisville is best knowing what to do with Coach Payne for the long term. If things don’t get better, they can pull the plug and try for another big splash hire. And just about everyone would be interested in a school that has a ton of past success and some of the most resources anywhere. They’re a massive TV and recruiting draw and benefit from its local rivalry with Kentucky.

Had Louisville been an average team in the past few years, I probably could have them as high as No. 3 on this list. That shows how big of a hole the program has dug itself. They better turn it around in a hurry before risking real long-term damage to its brand.