21. Louisville (13-5)
The work out of the Cardinals this season has been very solid, though it also could’ve been better. Louisville has played some significant games shorthanded, missing standout Mikel Brown Jr. for much of the recent weeks. Recent losses to Stanford and Duke in conference play have been unfortunate and disappointing though there’s still belief that this team has the pieces to be a top contender in the ACC.
What began the week was another step in the wrong direction as the Cardinals fell 79-70 at home to a great Virginia team. Isaac McKneely was impressive with 23 points but Louisville just didn’t do enough. Fortunately, everything finally came together over the weekend, with Louisville absolutely blitzing Pittsburgh early in what would be a 100-59 blowout win on the road. Ryan Conwell had 24 points, J’Vonne Hadley had 17 points, and Louisville triumphed thanks to a 63% shooting percentage, including 15 made 3-pointers.
Pat Kelsey has turned the culture around at Louisville but this team doesn’t just want to get back to the NCAA Tournament again. Asking them to shoot the ball like they did on Saturday isn’t going to work on a regular basis but it was a taste at what this offense can look like when this team realizes it’s true potential. Can they keep realizing that potential next week against Virginia Tech?