11. Louisville (8-1)
The recent strong play at Louisville has seen the Cardinals rising in public perception, especially after last season’s 18-2 finish in the ACC. This year is all about finishing and being more nationally relevant after the first round loss, and big wins over Cincinnati and Kentucky were certainly good signs for this team. A talented roster was put to the test in a big way this week and split a pair of challenging contests.
First came the bad news, as Louisville lost for the first time this season on Wednesday, falling 89-80 at Arkansas. Mikel Brown Jr. had 22 points as the Cardinals dropped their game in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Fortunately they bounced back in Indianapolis, getting a ranked win with an 87-78 victory over Indiana. Ryan Conwell stood out with 21 points while J’Vonne Hadley and Isaac McKneely added 15 points apiece against the Hoosiers.
Louisville had what was effectively their first bad shooting night in Fayetteville but really bounced back nicely this weekend against Indiana. The jury is still out on what exactly these Cardinals can accomplish but Pat Kelsey unquestionably has this program trending in a great direction. Looking ahead, the next mark on the schedule is a Memphis team that comes to town on Saturday.