Stanford Meets Louisville for Second Time in Five Days in ACC Tournament

Stanford sees Louisville for the second time in just five days.

After an emotional rollercoaster that led them to a win, Stanford moved on in the ACC tournament after taking down rival Cal, 78-73. 24 hours later, they will have to face Louisville (25-6, 17-2 in ACC), hoping to make the ACC semifinals.

The Cardinals are 25-6, and ranked as the No. 13 team in the nation according to the AP Poll. However, regardless of their ranking, Louisville is considered to be a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, per Joe Lunardi's Bracketology.

Underappreciated might be the perfect word to describe these hungry Cardinals. Since December 15, they are 19-1, with a sole loss in that stretch coming at Georgia Tech

Not only is Louisville a great matchup, but this game will be a dictator of how head coach Kyle Smith truly has done in his first year as the Stanford head coach. There is no question that Smith has been phenomenal in his first season in Palo Alto, but the difference between a good and great season could be determined this afternoon.

Smith has brought the Cardinal their first 20-win season since 2019-2020, while also winning all three rivalry games vs Cal, and going 16-2 at home. He also coached wins over North Carolina and Santa Clara on the road, along with victories over SMU, Florida State, Virginia at home.

Projected to finish in 16th place in the conference, leading his team to seventh place has not only defied the odds, but truly brought a feel to Maples Pavilion, as if they are a basketball school, or getting closer to it.

All the work that he has done cannot be denied, but it will truly be put to the test on Thursday. If Stanford is able to take down the Cardinals in Charlotte, a semifinal spot in the ACC tournament would be a dream come true for Stanford fans.

Stanford, being the No. 7 seed, are heavy underdogs, but one thing they have going for them is that they held Louisville to their second-fewest point total of the regular season on Saturday, allowing 68.

The problem for Stanford was that they shot 20% from the floor in the first half. In order to pull off the upset, the defense will have to stand tall, and the scoring will have to come from a few different players.

Tip-off is scheduled for Thursday, March 13 at 4 p.m. (PT) and will be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2. The winner of this game will go on to face the winner of the Clemson (No. 3) and SMU (No. 6) matchup in the semifinals. Stanford lost 85-71 to Clemson on the road back in January, and split with SMU with each team winning on their home court.