Louisville Improves to No. 7 Seed in ESPN's Latest 2022 NCAA Tournament Projection
(Photo of Samuell Williamson, Dre Davis: David Butler II - USA TODAY Sports)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Following a 2020-21 season which saw them miss the NCAA Tournament by a razor-thin margin, the Louisville men's basketball program has been extremely busy with roster management this offseason in order to return to the Big Dance.
As a result, the Cardinals are starting to improve their standing with ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi. In his first update since mid-June, he has bumped up Louisville from a No. 8 seed to a No. 7 seed. Lunardi has the Cards heading to the East (Philadelphia) region, with UCLA, Purdue, Villanova and Tennessee as the top four seeds in the region. Gonzaga, Kansas and Michigan claim the other No. 1 seeds in the bracket.
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 at 13-7. They were designated as the tournament's 'First Team Out'.
The Cardinals are losing their two leading scorers in Carlik Jones and David Johnson to the NBA, but are Malik Williams after he opted to stay for a fifth year with the program. Starters Samuel Williamson, Jae’Lyn Withers and Dre Davis also return.
They are also bringing in a slew of newcomers after losing several others to graduation and the transfer portal. Matt Cross, Noah Locke and Jarrod West transferred form other D1 programs, El Ellis joined from the JUCO ranks, and Mike James & Roosevelt Wheeler signed out of high school.
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