The ACC has had at least two teams finish in the top 10 at KenPom for seven consecutive seasons. Right now, it has zero in the top 10. So the league is down at the top relative to how it normally looks. As far as power conferences go, the ACC is probably the most wide open. It’s not crazy to think at least six different schools could win the league title.
Louisville is one of those schools.
Chris Mack’s Cardinals beat Wake Forest 77-65 on Wednesday night to improve to 9-1 overall, 4-0 in the ACC. The lone loss on the resume is a lopsided loss at Wisconsin in which Carlik Jones, the team’s leading scorer, did not play. He had a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds against Wake Forest to help Louisville extend its winning streak to five games heading into Saturday’s contest at Miami. It’s an impressive start to this season, especially considering the Cardinals lost the top five scorers from last season’s team and failed to enroll their best recruit (Jay Scrubb).
So will Louisville win the ACC?
Maybe.
But it could also end up being Virginia. Or Virginia Tech. Or Clemson. Or Duke. Or Florida State. Or somebody else. At this moment, zero ACC schools are ranked higher than 15th at KenPom, but six are between 15th and 30th. So while it’s possible nobody will emerge as a great team, there are at least six teams that qualify as good. And, oddly, good just might be good enough to win the ACC in this unusual season.
Louisville is No. 17 in Thursday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Cardinals are one of three ACC teams in the Top 25 And 1. The others are No. 19 Clemson and No. 26 Virginia Tech.
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Thursday’s Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 
| Gonzaga’s perfect record is highlighted by wins over Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia and Virginia. The Zags are the first team to score at least 85 points in each of their first 12 games since Loyola Marymount in the 1990-91 season. | — | 12-0 |
2 | 
| Baylor has won every game it has played by double-digits. The Bears’ perfect record is highlighted by a 13-point neutral-court victory over Illinois. | — | 11-0 |
3 | 
| Michigan’s perfect record is highlighted by double-digit wins over Wisconsin, Minnesota and Maryland. Eight of the Wolverines’ 11 victories are in the first two quadrants. | — | 11-0 |
4 | 
| Villanova’s resume features wins over Texas, Marquette and Arizona State. The Wildcats have not played since Dec. 23 because of COVID-19 issues inside the program. | — | 8-1 |
5 | 
| Creighton’s resume features four wins over teams ranked in the top 80 of the NET. The Bluejays will take a six-game winning streak into Saturday’s game at Butler. | 1 | 10-2 |
6 | 
| Iowa’s resume features wins over seven top-100 KenPom teams – among them Minnesota, Rutgers and North Carolina. The Hawkeyes will take a four-game winning streak into Thursday’s game with Michigan State. | 1 | 11-2 |
7 | 
| Six of Texas’ 10 wins are in the first two quadrants – most notably a 25-point victory at Kansas. The Longhorns’ only two losses are single-digit losses to Villanova and Texas Tech. | 2 | 10-2 |
8 | 
| Tennessee’s resume features four wins over teams ranked in the top 80 of the NET. The Vols will take a two-game winning streak into Tuesday’s game at South Carolina. | — | 9-1 |
9 | 
| Kansas’ resume includes four wins over teams in the top 40 of the NET – most notably Creighton, West Virginia and Texas Tech. All three of the Jayhawks’ losses have come to schools in the top 40 of the NET. | — | 10-3 |
10 | 
| Six of West Virginia’s nine wins have come against top-100 KenPom teams. All four of the Mountaineers’ losses are considered Quadrant 1 losses. | — | 9-4 |
11 | 
| Houston’s resume features wins over Texas Tech, SMU and South Carolina. The Cougars will take a three-game winning streak into Thursday’s game at South Florida. | — | 10-1 |
12 | 
| Texas Tech’s resume is highlighted by road wins at Texas and Oklahoma. The Red Raiders will take a three-game winning streak into Saturday’s game with Baylor. | — | 11-3 |
13 | 
| Maryland snapped Illinois’ four-game winning streak on Sunday. The Illini still own six wins over top-100 KenPom teams – among them victories over Duke, Minnesota, Indiana and Purdue. | — | 9-4 |
14 | 
| Wisconsin’s resume is highlighted by wins over Minnesota, Louisville and Indiana. Two of the Badgers’ three losses are to teams in the top 40 of the NET. | — | 10-3 |
15 | 
| Minnesota’s resume includes victories over Iowa, Ohio State and Saint Louis. All four of the Golden Gophers’ losses are to teams ranked in the top 10 at KenPom. | — | 10-4 |
16 | 
| Ohio State’s resume is highlighted by wins over UCLA and Rutgers. The Buckeyes will take a two-game winning streak into Saturday’s game at Illinois. | — | 10-3 |
17 | 
| Louisville’s only loss is a shorthanded loss at Wisconsin. The Cardinals will take a five-game winning streak into Saturday’s game at Miami. | — | 9-1 |
18 | 
| Saint Louis’ resume features wins over NC State and LSU. The Billikens have not played since Dec. 23 because of COVID-19 issues inside the program. | — | 7-1 |
19 | 
| Nick Honor made five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points in Tuesday’s 74-70 overtime victory over NC State. The Tigers have seven victories over teams ranked in the top 100 at KenPom. | — | 9-1 |
20 | 
| Oregon improved to 4-1 in the Pac-12 via Saturday’s 79-73 victory at Utah. The Ducks’ resume also includes wins over Stanford and Seton Hall. | — | 9-2 |
21 | 
| UConn’s resume is highlighted by wins over USC and Marquette. The Huskies will take a four-game winning streak into Monday’s game with St. John’s. | — | 7-1 |
22 | 
| UCLA’s resume features wins over Colorado, Arizona and Marquette. The Bruins will take a four-game winning streak into Thursday’s game with Washington State. | — | 9-2 |
23 | 
| Rutgers has gone from 6-0 to 7-4 by losing four of its past five games, three of them by double-digits. The Scarlet Knights are 4-4 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities with zero losses outside of the first two quadrants. | — | 7-4 |
24 | 
| Colorado’s resume features wins over Oregon and USC. All three of the Buffaloes’ losses are considered Quadrant-1 defeats. | — | 9-3 |
25 | 
| USC’s resume features a win over Arizona and zero losses to teams outside of the top 25 of the NET. The Trojans will take a four-game winning streak into Thursday’s game with Washington. | — | 9-2 |
26 | 
| Virginia Tech’s resume features wins over Villanova, Clemson and Duke. Both of the Hokies’ losses are to teams in the top 50 of the NET. | — | 10-2 |
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