Louisville’s Path to Winning the ACC Regular Season Title

Mark BlankenbakerFebruary 26, 2016

The biggest prize Louisville Men’s Basketball can play for in 2015-16 is the Atlantic Coast Conference Regular Season Title. Every team in the ACC still in contention has 3 games remaining.

Louisville’s best chance to win the league? Win its final 3 games of the season. Starting on the road at #12 Miami tomorrow at 2:00. Then come home on Senior Night (Tuesday) and take care of business vs. Georgia Tech. Finally Louisville must reverse a home loss into a road win vs. the #3 Virginia Cavaliers.

Possible? Sure. But Louisville is going to need some help in the form of a North Carolina loss. Right now the #7 Tar Heels have only 3 losses (to Louisville’s 4) in the ACC. But the Cards do have the advantage of the tie-breaker over UNC as a result of their 71-65 win on February 1st.

Let’s take a look at the contenders & their remaining schedules:

North Carolina (12-3)
@ #3 Virginia
vs. Syracuse
@ #15 Duke

Miami (11-4)
vs. #11 Louisville
@ #23 Notre Dame
@ Virginia Tech

Louisville (11-4)
@ #12 Miami
vs. Georgia Tech
@ #3 Virginia

Virginia (10-5)
vs. #7 North Carolina
@ Clemson
vs. #11 Louisville

Duke (10-5)
@ Pitt
vs. Wake Forest
vs. #7 North Carolina

Notre Dame (10-5)
@ Florida State
vs. #12 Miami
vs. NC State

North Carolina controls their own destiny at 12-3. But the Tar Heels have a TOUGH road ahead with 2 road games vs. Virginia and Duke and also at home vs. Syracuse. If UNC loses a game and Louisville wins out, the Cards would be the ACC Regular Season Champions by virtue of tie-breaker over North Carolina (the Cards would also have beaten Miami the only other 11-4 team currently giving the Canes a loss).

If Louisville loses a game the Cards could still win the Regular Season title IF North Carolina loses two games. But then it would also depend on WHO Louisville would lose to. If the Cards lose to Miami the Canes would then have the tie-breaker over UofL and the Cards would then need UM to tank as well. Also if Louisville loses it would drop it down into a deep pool of 5 loss teams in the ACC and things would get convoluted from there.

The best thing UofL can do is win its next 3 games, starting with tomorrow vs. Miami and cheer against North Carolina down the stretch.

We’ll see what happens. But if the Cards do win the regular season ACC title then I say get the squad fitted for rings and send them off into the off-season with celebration.