Louisville Faces Creighton as No. 8 Seed in NCAA Tournament

Rick Pitino has led St. John's to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, securing a No. 2 seed in the West Region after winning both the Big East regular-season and tournament titles (Newsday). Meanwhile, the University of Louisville returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 as an unexpected No. 8 seed in the South Region, under the leadership of Coach Pat Kelsey, who has achieved significant success in his first year (247sports, SI, Courier-Journal, WDRB). Louisville will face No. 9 Creighton in the first round, with a potential match against No. 1 Auburn if victorious (SI, Courier-Journal). The Cardinals' seeding was a surprise, as most projections had them as a higher seed, reflecting a lack of reward for their strong season (WDRB). Despite this, Coach Kelsey was named ACC Coach of the Year and is a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year (SI).