Louisville Report

Louisville Secures No. 2 Seed for ACC Tournament

The Cardinals will open postseason play against either Stanford, Virginia Tech or Cal.

Matthew McGavic

Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey instructs his team during a timeout against Wake Forest in their game at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. on Jan. 28, 2025
Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey instructs his team during a timeout against Wake Forest in their game at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. on Jan. 28, 2025 / Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the conclusion of the regular season following Saturday's slate of games across the Atlantic Coast Conference, the bracket for the league's men's basketball tournament is now officially set.

Sporting a conference record of 18-2 (and 25-6 overall), Louisville has secured one of the top seeds for next week's ACC Tournament, earning the No. 2 seed. The Cardinals will open postseason play on Thursday, Mar. 13 at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2, and face the winner of seventh-seeded Stanford vs. 10th-seeded Virginia/15th-seeded Cal.

Louisville went a perfect 3-0 during the regular season against their three potential opponents for their ACC Tournament opener, facing all three in their last four games. They took down Virginia Tech 71-66 in their road finale on Feb. 25, beat Cal 85-68 this past Wednesday, and earlier today defeated Stanford 68-48.

Year one under head coach Pat Kelsey has been nothing short of a rousing success. Not only did UofL set a program record for most conference wins in a single season, he won as many games as the last three seasons combined. The Cards are in line to make their return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.

This is Louisville's fourth time since joining the ACC for the 2014-15 season that they have secured a double bye. However, they are just 0-2 in the ACC Tournament when doing so, losing their openers in both 2015 and 2016, and COVID cancelling the bulk of the 2020 iteration.

Overall, the Cardinals are just 3-8 in the ACC Tournament, and have not advanced past the quarterfinal round. Their last win came in 2022 when they took down Georgia Tech 84-74 in the first round.

The ACC Tournament is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Mar. 11. The first round will be televised on the ACC Network, with the remainder of the tournament being held on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. The ACC Championship will take place on Saturday, Mar. 15 at 8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

(Photo of Pat Kelsey, Louisville Players: Sam Upshaw Jr. - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic

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