The Louisville Cardinals made a home run hire in Chris Mack. When he replaced interim coach David Padgett, Mack inherited a real dumpster fire. The firing of the legendary Rick Pitino and two of his assistants after the Cardinals program was implicated in an FBI investigation into college basketball left UL fans crying in their bourbon.
Enter Mack, who quickly changed the culture. Mack shored up a thin guard group by hitting the graduate transfer market hard, landing a floor general in Christen Cunningham, a 100-game starter at Samford, and a pitbull-type defender in Khwan Fore from Richmond. Mack and his staff then worked tirelessly to transform 6-7 sophomore Jordan Nwora from a standstill shooter into one of the ACC's most feared offensive weapons. Mack has Louisville back in the Big Dance after a one-year hiatus. Can they now do some damage?
ESPN+ has your answers, as Joe Lunardi has enlisted a team of bracketologists to compile advanced metrics, key scouting intel and best- and worst-case tournament scenarios for all 68 teams to help you make smart picks in your bracket.