University of Louisville Cardinals fans eagerly await the start of the upcoming season, and for good reason. Pat Kelsey’s team delivered an extraordinary performance during the 2024-25 season, and fans expect the team to continue its upward trend.
Louisville Cardinals’ Potential for Next Season
It’s not just fans who have noticed Louisville’s potential. The ACC and its broadcasting partner, ESPN, have decided to give Louisville extensive coverage, as popular analyst Aaron Torres revealed on his podcast:
“The fact that the ACC felt the need to add Louisville as the home and home with Duke, it means that the ACC and its TV partners ESPN see Louisville officially as a big-time opponent that they won on the schedule twice for the Duke Blue Devils,” he said.
“Obviously, Duke is a huge draw, you want to put together the most compelling TV schedule you can. The fact that you have decided that Louisville is the other team that Duke plays twice, seems to me to think that ESPN and the ACC are excited about Louisville and maybe frankly as excited as I am.”
As far as the Cardinals are concerned, this decision regarding next season’s schedule is no coincidence. They had a strong season under first-year Kelsey, finishing with an overall record of 27–8 and an 18–2 record in ACC play, securing second place in the conference standings.
A key moment of the season was their participation in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, where they secured wins against No. 14 Indiana and West Virginia, but lost to Oklahoma in the championship.
They also put together a 10-game winning streak, including nine ACC victories. This allowed them to reach No. 21 in the rankings before a 77–70 loss to Georgia Tech that ended the streak.
However, they achieved another impressive nine-game winning streak before finishing the season, culminating in a decisive 68–48 victory over Stanford.
As a result, the Cardinals entered the ACC Tournament as the second-seeded team and made it to the finals. They beat Stanford 75–73 in the quarterfinals and Clemson 73–62 in the semifinals. However, they lost to No. 1 Duke 73–62 in the finals.
KEEP READING: Pat Kelsey’s Dramatic Impact Setting New Expectations in College Basketball, Say Top Analysts
Despite the loss in the ACC final, Louisville received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as an eight-seed in the South region, but their season ended early with a first-round loss to nine-seed Creighton, 89–75.
Overall, Louisville’s rebound season was successful, significantly improving from their 8–24 record the previous year. Their strong conference performance and tournament runs demonstrated major progress under their new leadership.
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