Louisville Men's Basketball Jumps Back Into AP Top 25

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

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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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.

Why it matters

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. Their return to the rankings comes after a stretch where they had dropped three games in a four-game span, and this week's wins over Syracuse and No. 22 Miami mark an important turnaround.

The details

Louisville went 2-0 this past week, kicking off with a 77-62 victory over Syracuse last Tuesday at the KFC Yum! Center, then following that up with a 92-89 win at No. 22 Miami in their regular season finale. The win over Miami marked the Cards' first over a Quad 1A team this season, and snapped a 14-game losing streak against ranked opponents on the road.

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

The players

Louisville Cardinals

The men's basketball team at the University of Louisville, a Division I program that competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

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What’s next

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The takeaway

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