18. Louisville (10-2)
We’re not calling Louisville one of the favorites or a top contender at this current time, but this program is clearly leagues ahead of where they were just a few seasons ago under Kenny Payne. The Cardinals looked the part of a contender in nice wins over Indiana and Kentucky, though they also faltered at Arkansas in their first road experience just a few weeks ago.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they’d falter again in that true road atmosphere, falling 83-62 at Tennessee on Tuesday night. Ryan Conwell scored 22 points and Adrian Wooley added 19 points but there wasn’t much from the rest of Louisville’s lineup in their worst performance of the year. As expected, this team got back on track over the weekend with a 94-54 win against Montana. Sananda Fru starred with 18 points and 8 rebounds and the Cardinals quickly dispatched the Grizzlies.
Those two road losses were against strong SEC contenders and both came on days where the long-range shooting just didn’t show up for the Cardinals. With ACC play beginning soon, we’ll get a feeling if Louisville is really going to struggle in these hostile environments, though they remain one of the favorites in their conference. They actually start league play on the road but not until they travel west to California and Stanford in ten days.