Brown: Louisville basketball is an NCAA Tournament team. Next few ACC games will prove it.

Posted by Admin January 2, 2025 Basketball

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The first time Louisville basketball beat a blue blood this season — Indiana was ranked 15th during the Cardinals’ 89-61 victory — there was still some doubt of whether or not it was an NCAA Tournament team.

This time, there is not.

The Cards had the look of a tournament team as they held off North Carolina, 83-70, at the KFC Yum! Center on New Year’s Day. The win kicks off a crucial four-game stretch that could ultimately determine whether they make the postseason for the first time since 2019.

It’s way too early for U of L coach Pat Kelsey’s liking to proclaim they’re a tournament-worthy team.

“I can’t,” Kelsey said. “I can’t do it. I can’t. I think we’re a really, really good team, let’s just say that.”

Louisville said much more than that through its play against the Tar Heels, particularly the way it finished the game.

Louisville didn’t buckle under game pressure when presented several chances to do so. When Carolina erased an 11-point deficit and tied the game at 61, the Cards responded with a 7-2 spurt. When the Heels were within 70-69 with 5:09 left, U of L finished off the game outscoring them, 13-1.

The dagger came when guard Reyne Smith drilled a 3-pointer, stretching a four-point lead to 76-69 with 2:12 left. It uplifted the crowd, which my have had its doubts about the Cards closing out the game for the win, while deflating the Tar Heels.

Kelsey said the team had a prolonged film session noting mistakes late in its 78-76 win over Eastern Kentucky.

“There was too many mishaps, too many mistakes,” Kelsey said. “I really didn’t have to do a lot of the talking, they saw it in the film session and we just went to a whole other level.”

The Tar Heels rank 25th nationally in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com. Louisville held them to their second lowest point total in a game and to 40% shooting from the field, which also marked their second worst outing of the season.

Most importantly, the Cards held the Heels to just seven fast-break points, which tied their season low and was well below their 16-point average per game.

U of L’s tandem of Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr., helped hold UNC’s leading scorer R.J. Davis, who entered averaging 18.8 points per game, to just 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting.

That’s the way a team headed to the tournament plays. It’s something Hepburn and Smith know well, having both played on multiple teams that made the Big Dance. They believe U of L has the feel of a tournament team.

“We kind of felt that way, mid-December, we just felt it coming together even though we went on a little losing streak,” said Hepburn, who had game-highs with 26 points and seven assists. “We didn’t get down ourselves because we knew how good we could be and how good we were going to be.”

Carolina was the first of its “prove it” games to start 2025. Next up, Clemson and Pittsburgh represent U of L’s best chances to earn quality wins in the NET rankings, which the NCAA selection committee uses as a tool to size up teams.

The ACC doesn’t have very many of those opportunities this season, as currently only Duke (3), Pitt (10) and SMU (30) are ranked in the top 30; Clemson (36) and UNC (42) are among the top 50. U of L sat at 57 before its win over the Tar Heels.

There’s no return game in Durham or Chapel Hill, which means Louisville has to take advantage of every chance it has to be impressive. It also has to avoid looking raggedy. The ACC has plenty of those traps the Cards have to avoid, starting with Saturday’s trip to Virginia.

It’s one of those games the Cards can’t afford lose, but one that would do little for them if they win. The Cavaliers, guided by interim coach Ron Sanchez after Tony Bennett’s shocking retirement in October, are ranked 98th in the NET.

There will be other games, as infrequently as they are, to boost U of L’s resume. SMU has been a surprise addition to helping the ACC’s overall profile. Unless the Mustangs tank between now and the Cards’ trip to Dallas on Jan. 21, they will be in the top 75 and qualify as a Quad I game. But Clemson at home on Tuesday and a Jan. 11 trip to Pitt basically lays out U of L’s path to the Big Dance.

If the Cards continue to play like they did on Wednesday, they’re going to be in a position to win each of those games.

And pretty soon Kelsey won’t have to hold back from declaring his team tournament worthy.

Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com, follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.