Louisville basketball jumps into top 10 of latest AP Poll
The Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball program has taken a notable leap in the national conversation following a 2-0 week and a win over archrival Kentucky.
After opening the 2025-26 season with a perfect 4-0 record, the Cards climbed six spots to No. 6 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll — marking their highest ranking since a No. 5 placement in early 2020.
Louisville had started the season as the No. 11 team in the nation before dropping a spot in the week two poll.
It’s a six-spot jump for Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals, who followed up the win over UK with a 106-81 win over the Ohio Bobcats, extending their early-season dominance. Emblematic of Louisville’s strong nonconference start — the Cards have scored 96 points or more in all four games, including three with 100+ points.
The six-spot improvement is tied for the largest this week’s poll.
Louisville is already projected to have a prolific offense and is towards the top of the country in efficiency metrics.
Along with the U of L, three other ACC teams crack the week-three rankings — Duke is just ahead of the Cardinals at fifth, North Carolina stays put at 18th, and North Carolina State, under first-year head coach Will Wade, joins the mix at 25th.
No. 6 Louisville heads to Cincinnati to take on the 4-0 Bearcats at the Heritage Bank Center. Tip-off is set for 6:30 PM EST, and the game will air on ESPN2.
