Mar 20, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) drives to the basket against Creighton Bluejays forward Jackson McAndrew (23) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

ESPN Under-Seeds Louisville in Early 2025 NCAA Tournament Projection

Originally posted on Louisville Cardinals on SI
By Matthew McGavic | Last updated Apr 30, 2025 10:06 AM ET

We might be roughly eleven months away from the announcement of the 2025 NCAA Tournament field, but it's never too early to project how Selection Sunday will pan out.

Following a 2024-25 campaign in which first year head coach Pat Kelsey helped get the Louisville men's basketball program back to national relevance, he and his staff have been busy positioning the Cardinals for a potentially deep postseason run next year. However, if ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi is to be believed, UofL might find themselves getting under-seeded again.

On Tuesday, Lunardi released his first bracket projection for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. In it, he listed Louisville as a No. 5 seed in the Midwest (Chicago) region. Purdue, Kentucky, Iowa State and Auburn are the top four seeds in the region, with St. John's, Houston and Duke claiming the other No. 1 seeds.

Given Louisville's various offseason moves, them receiving a No. 5 seed certainly seems a little bit low. In fact, the Cardinals have routinely been included in the top 5-10 of way-too-early preseason polls up to this point. Considering they were given a No. 8 seed for this past tournament despite entering as the AP No. 10 team, it would be an all-too-familiar feeling.

There's a reason why many are so high of UofL heading into the 2025-26 season. Not only are they adding three top-20 transfers (Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely and Adrian Wooley), they are bringing in the nation's No. 1 high school point guard in Mikel Brown Jr., and are bringing back key playmakers J'Vonne Hadley and Kasean Pryor.

Louisville is coming off of a successful first year under Kelsey. The Cardinals went 27-8 overall, winning more games than over the previous three seasons combined, resulting in Kelsey winning ACC Coach of the Year. UofL made their return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 - although it resulted in a first round exit to Creighton.