Miami Faces No. 24 Louisville in ACC Tournament Rematch

Hurricanes look to avenge regular season loss and advance in conference tournament

Mar. 12, 2026 at 4:55pm

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The third-seeded Miami Hurricanes (24-7) will face the sixth-seeded No. 24 Louisville Cardinals (23-9) in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. This is a rematch of a regular season game that Louisville won 92-89 last Saturday. Miami head coach Jai Lucas stressed the "level of urgency" his team must play with going forward in the tournament, while Louisville coach Pat Kelsey praised his veteran-laden squad's ability to "survive and advance" despite not shooting well in their opening round win over SMU.

Why it matters

This rematch is an important game for both teams as they look to advance in the highly competitive ACC tournament. Miami is seeking redemption after their close loss to Louisville last weekend, while Louisville aims to continue their tournament run despite the absence of injured standout freshman Mikel Brown Jr.

The details

In the regular season meeting, Louisville's veteran experience and balanced scoring attack, led by senior Ryan Conwell's 18.6 points per game, helped them overcome Miami's second-half surge. Miami will look to All-ACC first-teamer Malik Reneau (19.1 ppg) and second-teamer Tre Donaldson to lead their offense against the Cardinals' veteran defense.

  • The teams will face off on Thursday afternoon in the ACC tournament quarterfinals.
  • Louisville defeated SMU 62-58 on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals.

The players

Jai Lucas

First-year head coach of the Miami Hurricanes.

Pat Kelsey

Head coach of the Louisville Cardinals.

Malik Reneau

All-ACC first-team member for Miami, averaging 19.1 points per game.

Tre Donaldson

All-ACC second-team member for Miami.

Ryan Conwell

Louisville's leading scorer, averaging 18.6 points per game.

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What they’re saying

“We've got a bunch of vets. We've got one of the oldest, most mature teams in the country, and they've been through so many situations throughout the course of their career. They've logged so many minutes. They've played in big games.”

— Pat Kelsey, Head Coach, Louisville Cardinals (statenews.net)

“Just having the utmost confidence in him. Him being a senior, leader on the team, whatever he (does) is fine with me, as long as we are sticking to what we work on. He works on those shots each and every day, so I trust him with whatever he does.”

— Adrian Wooley, Louisville Cardinals Player (statenews.net)

What’s next

The winner of this quarterfinal matchup will advance to the semifinals of the ACC tournament.

The takeaway

This rematch between Miami and Louisville in the ACC tournament quarterfinals features two teams with contrasting styles and experience levels, setting up an intriguing battle as both squads look to extend their tournament runs and earn an NCAA bid.