Louisville Men's Basketball Jumps Back Into AP Top 25

The Cardinals won both their games in the final week of the regular season.

Louisville Cardinals guard J'vonne Hadley (1) drives to the basket as the Louisville Cardinals host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in an NCAA basketball game at the KFC Yum! Center, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Louisville. | Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After a brief stint of not being ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, the Louisville men's basketball program has regained that little number next to their name.

The Cardinals (21-9, 10-7 ACC) garnered 140 points in week 18 of the AP Top 25, rising from the "others receiving votes" section in the previous poll to No. 24 this week. Louisville had previously been ranked in every poll so far this season prior to last week, and have peaked as high as No. 6 overall.

Louisville went 2-0 this past week after previously going through a stretch where they had dropped three games in a four-game span. They kicked off the week with a 77-62 victory over Syracuse last Tuesday at the KFC Yum! Center, then followed that up with a 92-89 win at No. 22 Miami in their regular season finale. It marked the Cards' first win over a Quad 1A team this season, and snapped a 14-game losing streak against ranked opponents on the road.

Next up, Louisville will head down to Charlotte, N.C. for the ACC Tournament, and will open up their run against either 11th-seeded SMU or 14th-seeded Syracuse after having clinched the No. 6 seed. Tip-off against either the Mustangs or the Orange is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 11 at 2:30 p.m. EST.

Full Associated Press Top 25 Poll (2025-26 Week 18)

*Points in parenthesis - first place votes

1. Duke (1,519 - 56)
2. Arizona (1,439 - 4)
3. Michigan (1,434 - 1)
4. Florida (1,337)
5. Houston (1,241)
6. UConn (1,178)
7. Iowa State (1,137)
8. Michigan State (1,083)
9, Illinois (1,037)
10. Virginia (953)
11. Nebraska (939)
12. Gonzaga (846)
13. St. John's (733)
14. Kansas (608)
15. Alabama (602)
16. Texas Tech (554)
17. Arkansas (532)
18. Purdue (529)
19. North Carolina (488)
20. Miami of Ohio (420)
21. Saint Mary's (325)
22. Vanderbilt (323)
23. Wisconsin (201)
24. Louisville (140)
25. Tennessee (72)

Others receiving votes:

Miami 60, TCU 19, BYU 18, Saint Louis 12, High Point 11, Georgia 10, Villanova 10, UCLA 3, VCU 3, Stephen F Austin 2, Utah St. 2, Ohio St. 2, Missouri 2, Akron 1.

(Photo of J'Vonne Hadley: Jeff Faughender - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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