Louisville Earns No. 6 Seed in East Region of NCAA Tournament

Cardinals to Face South Florida in First Round Matchup

Mar. 15, 2026 at 11:36pm

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Year two of Pat Kelsey's tenure at Louisville comes with a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Cardinals will square up against South Florida in Buffalo, New York, on Thursday. Louisville finished the 2025/26 regular season 22-9 and knocked off SMU before falling to Miami in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.

Why it matters

Louisville's path to the Final Four will be challenging, as the East region is stacked with historic programs like Duke, Kansas, and UCLA. The Cardinals will need to get past a dangerous South Florida team before potentially facing powerhouses like Michigan State and UConn.

The details

Louisville has won three of its previous four games, all without star freshman Mikel Brown. South Florida finished the season 25-8, including an 11-game win streak, and is averaging 88.3 points and 42.8 rebounds per game, both top 10 in the nation. If the Cardinals advance, they would likely face No. 3 seed Michigan State in the second round.

  • Louisville finished the 2025/26 regular season 22-9.
  • The Cardinals knocked off SMU before losing to Miami in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
  • Louisville will face South Florida in the first round on Thursday in Buffalo, New York.

The players

Pat Kelsey

Head coach of the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team, in his second season.

Mikel Brown

Freshman star player for the Louisville Cardinals who has missed the team's last four games.

Tom Izzo

Head coach of the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, a potential second-round opponent for Louisville.

Mick Cronin

Head coach of the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team, a potential Sweet 16 opponent for Louisville.

Rick Pitino

Head coach of the St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team, a No. 5 seed in the East region.

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What they’re saying

“There is no question that this region will be extremely difficult for any team.”

— Connor Stanley, Author (on3.com)

What’s next

If Louisville defeats South Florida in the first round, they will take on either No. 3 seed Michigan State or No. 14 seed North Dakota State in the second round.

The takeaway

Louisville faces a daunting path to the Final Four in the stacked East region, but the Cardinals have the talent and experience to make a deep tournament run if they can get past a dangerous South Florida team in the opening round.