Louisville basketball falls out of AP poll's top 10
The Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball program has dropped out of the top 10, despite its most recent nine-point win against No. 22 Indiana.
After opening the 2025-26 season with a perfect 7-0 record, the Cards climbed as high as No. 6 in the nation, but in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, Louisville has fallen to No. 11.
The Cardinals did end the week beating the Hoosiers in Indianapolis, but they also went on the road and lost for the first time this winter — a 89-80 defeat at No. 17 Arkansas. Louisville trailed by double-digits for the majority of the contest, before a second-half surge cut the Razorbacks’ lead to as little as five. In the end, 18 Arkansas offensive rebounds for 27 second-chance points sealed the Cards’ fate.
The five-spot drop is tied for the second largest in this week’s poll.
Along with the U of L, three other ACC teams crack the updated poll. Duke is the highest-ranked team in the conference at No. 3 and still unbeaten, while North Carolina racked up two solid wins at Kentucky and versus Georgetown and rose to No. 14. And then joining the polls at No. 24 is Virginia, which has soared to an 8-1 start under first-year coach Ryan Odom.
No. 11 Louisville heads into a week off and will host former rival Memphis and Penny Hardaway on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 3:30 PM EST, and the game will air on ESPN.
Also on the upcoming schedule is No. 20 Tennessee, as the Cards will travel to Knoxville next Tuesday.
