When the bracket was announced for the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, the biggest uproar was about UNC’s inclusion in the field, which left out teams like West Virginia and Indiana. While certainly controversial, the Louisville Cardinals have just as much of a reason to be irate about their situation, despite earning one of the 68 bids to the Big Dance.
After Louisville won eight games last year, first-year head coach Pat Kelsey led his team to a 27-7 record, a NET ranking of 25 and a 22-1 mark outside of Quad-1. They reached the ACC Tournament title game. Yet, they find themselves as a No. 8 seed, with a brutal matchup against Creighton awaiting them on Thursday.
Even Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott chimed in. “I can’t believe they’re an eight seed,” McDermott told the media yesterday.
“We were a little bit shocked that our name was called that early, for sure,” said Louisville guard J’Vonne Hadley, the Colorado transfer who averages 12.1 points and 7.3 rebounds.
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Kelsey has been responsible for shifting his team’s focus quickly to prepare for the early Thursday afternoon game, the first of 32 first-round games. Since the bracket was announced Sunday, the team hasn’t talked about the seeding situation.
“We haven’t blinked an eye,” Kelsey said. “It’s a non-issue at that point. We are here and we are playing Creighton, and we have to be at our absolute best to beat Creighton. You don’t need any added motivation when you have an opportunity to represent your school and your city in the national tournament. Whether the Committee decided to make us a 16 seed, an eight seed, a four seed, a five seed, we’re here.”
While frustrated, the Cardinals are focusing on the major positive of their draw in the tournament. The first-round game is at Rupp Arena in Lexington, about 80 miles from Louisville’s campus, so the Cardinals are hopeful to look up at a sea of red in the stands on Thursday.
“It’s really exciting, and once we saw we were in Lexington we knew straightaway it’s an opportunity for Louisville fans to come out,” guard Reyne Smith said. “It’s going to be a cool experience to kind of have those fans there and for us to travel a little less. Nicer on the body, so that’s always good.”
The feeling of gratitude for an opportunity in the tournament was abundantly clear amongst the team, and Kelsey was quick to emphasize the importance of that approach.
“I believe in my heart that March Madness, the NCAA Tournament — my mentor Skip Prosor used to call it ‘the national tournament’ — it’s the greatest tournament in American sports,” Kelsey said. “It captures the hearts and minds of people that love sports around this country during that time. It never gets old.”
ACC Defensive Player of the Year and star guard Chucky Hepburn summed up the Cardinals’ approach in a few words. They are moving forward.
“No, it doesn’t matter,” Hepburn said. “At the end of the day, it’s still basketball.”
