The Louisville men's basketball program is heading into the postseason with some real wind in their sails.
Ahead of this week's ACC Tournament, the second-seeded Cardinals have won nine consecutive games, and are winners in 19 of their last 20 games overall. Louisville will get their run in the ACC Tournament started this Thursday, Mar. 13 at 7:00 p.m. EST against Stanford, Virginia Tech or Clemson.
As you can imagine, first year head coach Pat Kelsey has Louisville in a very good standing for the NCAA Tournament. According to BracketMatrix, a website that averages out several dozen NCAA Tournament projections among major "bracketologists," the Cardinals average out to a six seed in their most recent update (Mar. 10).
So where do some of these projections have Louisville going for the Big Dance? Below is a sampling from some of the more noteworthy NCAA Tournament projectors.
Selection Sunday is set for Sunday, Mar. 16, with the First Four set for Mar. 18-19. The first and second rounds are scheduled for Mar. 20-23, with the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight slated for Mar. 27-30. The Final Four from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Tex. will take place on Apr. 5, with the national championship set for Apr. 7.
Sports Illustrated
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Projector: Kevin Sweeney
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Seed/Region: No. 6 in West
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First Round Matchup: No. 11 UC San Diego
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Second Round Pairing: No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 14 Arkansas State
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Region's Top Four Seeds: Florida, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Clemson
ESPN
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Projector: Joe Lunardi
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Seed/Region: No. 7 in Midwest
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First Round Matchup: No. 10 Drake
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Second Round Pairing: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Wofford
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Region's Top Four Seeds: Houston, Alabama, St. John's, Wisconsin
CBS
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Projector: Jerry Palm
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Seed/Region: No. 7 in South
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First Round Matchup: No. 10 Vanderbilt
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Second Round Pairing: No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Central Connecticut
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Region's Top Four Seeds: Auburn, Michigan State, Iowa State, Oregon
The Athletic
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Projector: Joe Rexrode
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Seed/Region: No. 7 in South
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First Round Matchup: No. 10 Arkansas
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Second Round Pairing: No. 2 Texas Tech vs. No. 15 Robert Morris
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Region's Top Four Seeds: Auburn, Texas Tech, Kentucky, Maryland
USA Today
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Projector: Erick Smith
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Seed/Region: No. 6 in Midwest
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First Round Matchup: No. 11 Boise State/Ohio State
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Second Round Pairing: No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 14 Northern Colorado
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Region's Top Four Seeds: Houston, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Kentucky
SBNation
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Projector: Chris Dobbertean
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Seed/Region: No. 4 in South
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First Round Matchup: No. 13 Lipscomb
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Second Round Pairing: No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 McNeese State
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Region's Top Four Seeds: Auburn, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Louisville
BracketVille
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Projector: Dave Ommen
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Seed/Region: No. 7 in South
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First Round Matchup: No. 10 Arkansas
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Second Round Pairing: No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Robert Morris
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Region's Top Four Seeds: Auburn, Michigan State, Kentucky, Purdue
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Projector: Tim Krueger
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Seed/Region: No. 8 in Midwest
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First Round Matchup: No. 9 New Mexico
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Second Round Pairing: No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 Norfolk State
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Region's Top Four Seeds: Houston, Alabama, Kentucky, Maryland
On3
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Projector: James Fletcher III
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Seed/Region: No. 5 in East
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First Round Matchup: No. 12 McNeese State
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Second Round Pairing: No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 15 Central Connecticut
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Region's Top Four Seeds: Duke, Kentucky, St. John's, Maryland
Seeds Only
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Fox Sports' Mike DeCourcy: No. 6
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Sporting News' Bill Bender: No. 6
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