By Derek DeBurger
After traversing the depths of college basketball hell, Louisville has returned to the AP top 25.
Just a week removed from receiving 17 points and being the fifth team left out of the poll, the Cards find themselves in the 25th spot. They’re a mere 21 points ahead of the first team left out, Texas Tech.
Louisville has not been ranked in the AP top 25 since Jan. 25, 2021, almost four full years ago. Just as recent as the 2019-20 season Louisville was ranked as high as No. 1 in the poll.
In year one of Pat Kelsey’s tenure and a season removed from winning single-digit games over the past two seasons, the turnaround of the Cards is remarkable.
In his 13 seasons as a head coach, Kelsey has only coached one other team that found themselves ranked in the top 25. His penultimate year at Charleston, the Cougars found themselves ranked for four weeks and as high as 18th in the AP poll before falling to Hofstra.
Their spot in the poll marks Louisville’s 657th time being ranked in the top 25, which is the sixth most all-time for any program.
Louisville is currently on an eight-game winning streak, and will put that streak to the test Tuesday against the SMU Mustangs.
Photo Courtesy // Mallory Peak, Louisville Athletics