Record (AP rank): 21-3 (5)
Signature wins: vs. No. 4 Michigan Wolverines, at No. 3 Duke Blue Devils
Worst losses: at Iowa State Cyclones, at Rutgers Scarlet Knights, vs. Xavier Musketeers
Key games remaining: at No. 18 Marquette Golden Eagles, vs. No. 15 Villanova Wildcats, at No. 23 Creighton Bluejays
The outlook: There's a case to be made for either Duke or Lousiville as the ACC's top-seeded team, but the Cardinals get the edge for a few reasons. They won their head-to-head matchup at Cameron Indoor earlier in the season. Louisville's three losses also came to Texas Tech, then-No. 18 Florida State, and then-No. 19 Kentucky at Rupp Arena. Those losses aged particularly well, as all three are currently ranked, with both the Seminoles and the Wildcats in the top 15. So even though the Cardinals' nonconference slate was far less challenging than Duke's, their losses were also far less severe. If any of the four teams ahead of Louisville suffer a considerable loss in the final weeks of the season — or, perhaps, if Chris Mack's squad puts on a clinic in the ACC tournament — expect the Cardinals to be first off the list to take a No. 1 seed.