Louisville Excluded From NCAA Tournament Field
(Photo of Chris Mack: Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
INDIANAPOLIS - Selection Sunday finally made its triumphant return after a one-year hiatus, but unfortunately for the Louisville men’s basketball program, their bubble was officially burst.
For the first time since 2018, the Cardinals were not selected to the NCAA Tournament field. According to the selection committee, Louisville was the first team included in the 'First Four Out'.
As a result, the Cardinals are designated as the first standby team to replace a program forced to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID-19 issues. The deadline for a team to withdraw is Tuesday, Mar. 16 at 6:00 p.m EST.
Excluding the 2017-18 season in which David Padgett served as interim head coach, as well as the 2015-16 season where Louisville self imposed a postseason ban, the last time they missed the tournament was 2006.
Related: Mitch Barnhart Explains Why Louisville Did Not Make NCAA Tournament
Louisville opened up the 2020-21 season at 9-1, and were ranked as high as the No. 16 team in the nation. But due to COVID issues, injuries, and at times offensive inconsistencies, they went 4-6 in the second half of the season to finish 13-7 and 8-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Coupled with Georgetown and Oregon State stealing bids by winning their respective conference tournaments, and Wichita State and Syracuse making late season pushes, Louisville’s chances of making the field of 68 were in serious doubt.
Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois and Michigan were awarded the four No. 1 seeds for the tournament. Play opens up on Thursday, Mar. 18 with the First Four games, with the First Round taking place on Thursday, Mar. 19 and Friday, Mar. 20.
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