Settle in, Cardinal fans. This is going to be a LONG year.
The Louisville Cardinals have now lost three of their lost four contests following a 65-67 double overtime loss at the hands of Notre Dame on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center.
Just two weeks after being one of the nation's final six unbeaten teams at 12-0, the 1-3 current stretch is a punch to the gut of Cardinal fans. Once ranked as high as #4 in the country in both polls, Louisville finds themselves in a landslide, now 14th in the AP Poll and 15th in the Coaches. The six unbeatens are now down to three: #1 Syracuse (17-0), #4 Baylor (15-0), and #14 Murray State (16-0).
That's right - #14 Murray State.
With their stellar and unblemished record thus far, Murray State has jumped the Cardinals in the Coaches Poll; Louisville drops to the third highest ranked team just in the state of Kentucky.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals have hit this skid at the wrong time. The guantlet that it the Big East isn't something to limp into. After the Kentucky loss, Cardinal fans could breathe a sigh of relief that the first four conference games coming up were light duty, and a chance to try to regroup. But after starting 1-1 out of the gate, things aren't looking so promising once Louisville begins major conference play.
It may very well be time for Louisville fans to start crossing their fingers about their team's performance - because the sobering reality is that Louisville is currently on a crash course with the NIT. That may seem hard to fathom with a 13-3 overall record, and a #15 national ranking, but pull out that schedule card and look for a marquee win. There isn't one. But the Cardinals continue to compound the problem with what the tournament committee will deem "bad losses." Georgetown was a lower ranked team at home, and Notre Dame was an unranked team at home. Losing a game on the road to a great team like Kentucky is almost half a loss in the eyes of the committee, while a loss at home to unranked Notre Dame is a loss and a half - you just cannot surrender home court advantage and garner respect come selection Sunday.
Louisville will have a couple chances this week to get back on the winning side of things, first at Providence on 1/10, and then DePaul at home on 1/14. But these Cards stand on a precipice - things can either substantially improve, or fall apart altogether. Cards - you decide.
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