Jan 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Vangelis Zougris (53) brings the ball up court against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Preview: Louisville's First Game in the ACC Tournament

Originally posted on Louisville Cardinals on SI
By Matthew McGavic | Last updated Mar 10, 2026 11:00 AM ET

Before the Big Dance gets underway next week, we first have the "little dance" this week. The Louisville men's basketball program will be making the trek to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament, and their run in the conference tournament set to begin against either SMU or Syracuse.

The Cardinals were perceived as a top-10 team and a potential national championship contender entering the 2025-26 season, but they haven't lived up to those expectations thus far, and wound up earning a single bye and the No. 6 seed for the ACC Tournament. However, they do head to Charlotte with some slight momentum, capturing their first Quad 1A win of the season in their regular season finale at Miami.

Shooting guard Ryan Conwell was tabbed as a Second Team All-ACC selection earlier this week, while point guard Mikel Brown Jr. earned a Third Team All-ACC nod and was named to the ACC All-Rookie Team.

As for the two teams Louisville could be matched up against, neither 11th-seeded SMU or 14th-seeded Syracuse have much momentum right now.

Once on the positive side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, the Mustangs are trending in the wrong direction, as they have dropped four straight and are losers in seven of their last 11. The Orange are in an absolute free fall, as they have lost five straight and dropped 11 of their last 14, and it is trending that they could fire head coach Adrian Autry once their season wraps up.

Louisville went 2-1 during the regular season against their two potential opponents for their ACC Tournament opener. They split their two meetings with SMU, winning 88-74 at the KFC Yum! Center back on Jan. 31 but falling 95-85 back on Feb. 17 in the rematch in Dallas. More recently, took down Syracuse 77-62 back on Mar. 3 at the KFC Yum! Center in their home finale.

ACC Tournament Second Round | No. 6. Louisville Cardinals (22-9, 11-7 ACC) vs. No. 11 SMU (19-12, 8-10 ACC)/No. 14 Syracuse (15-16, 6-12 ACC)

Date/Time: Wednesday, Mar. 11 at 2:30 p.m. EST.
Place: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.
TV: ESPN - Play-by-play and analyst TBD.
Channel (Louisville)/Live Stream: Spectrum: 31; Dish: 140; DirecTV: 206.
Radio (Louisville): 93.9 FM - Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst).