Louisville basketball is back like they left something.
Louisville basketball crashed the Associated Press Poll once again following a three-week absence, this time in a big way. The poll, released on Monday, had the Cards sitting pretty at No. 16, an eleven-spot jump from being previously two spots outside of the rankings.
It was the largest leap by any team since three teams jumped more than 11 spots from their preseason ranking in Week 1 (Virginia, Iowa, Illinois). Louisville’s first appearance in the poll this season came in Week 3 (4-0) before being shellacked at Wisconsin 85-48, thus beginning their sabbatical from outside looking in.
Among the teams that Louisville leapfrogged this week were three ACC opponents. One being Virginia Tech, whom the Cardinals handed just their second loss on the season last Wednesday. The other two were perhaps a bit more satisfying to the UofL faithful, in Duke and Virginia. Both of those teams actually moved up in the poll this week (Virginia 22 to 18, Duke 21 to 19, respectively).
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What the new ranking means for the Cards
The poll’s release may have come as a surprise to many. Louisville didn’t hold a contest over the weekend, stemming from a cancellation due to COVID-related issues surrounding Georgia Tech. Nevertheless, poll voters are clearly putting stock into Louisville’s overall resume and some of its victories.
Chris Mack’s team is on the heels of a big win over then-19th-ranked Virginia Tech, who dropped only one spot. The Hokies have been trending favorably ever since their big win over still-no. 3 Villanova this season. It’s obvious the voters as a group still value VT’s body of work. Moving forward, Louisville can gain even more momentum and increase their strength of schedule by piggy-backing off of Kentucky’s newfound season.
Up 11 spots, on a 4-game winning streak, undefeated in the conference, undefeated at home, and coming off a win against a top-20 squad, Louisville is without-a-doubt the hottest team in the country where we stand today.
