19. Louisville (15-5)
Realistically, there wasn’t anything to celebrate at Louisville the last two seasons, as the Cardinals put up abhorrent records and were going nowhere fast. Pat Kelsey came in the offseason and has already changed everything about this program and the results are already showing on the court. His team had some tough challenges early in the season, but those experiences are really paying off with how they’ve been playing in recent weeks.
Louisville kept their recent hot streak going with a profound showing this week, getting a 98-73 road win over a very solid SMU team on Tuesday. Reyne Smith starred with 30 points, making 10 of his 17 3-point attempts, but he was far from the only notable performer. Chucky Hepburn excelled with 13 points and 16 assists while J’Vonne Hadley and James Scott were good for 16 points apiece.
The Cardinals have been sensational during this 9-game winning streak and are now amazingly 8-1 in ACC play. A team completely abandoned the last few seasons now sits in second place in the ACC, with a realistic shot at the Big Dance and other postseason dreams. The talent that Kelsey brought into the program with him is shining, and we’ll see if they keep shining next week against Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, though they’ll certainly be favored in both games.