LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Syracuse has lost half of its 16 games, including a 16-point beatdown from Florida State, a team the University of Louisville defeated by 14.
Year two of Adrian Autry following Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim has not been seashells and balloons. The Orange are the squad Louisville faces at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the JMA Wireless Dome in central New York.
Virginia is one of the three Atlantic Coast Conference teams U of L plays twice this season. Nine days ago, the Cards won in Charlottesville by 20.
Year one of Ron Sanchez filling in for Tony Bennett has not been Fun City for the Cavaliers, another 8-8 squad.
Virginia visits Louisville at noon Saturday.
SMU has a dozen wins but none against an opponent that ranks in the top 70 in Ken Pomeroy's analytics formula. The Mustangs lost by 15 to a North Carolina team that U of L beat by 13.
U of L coach Pat Kelsey will take his squad to Dallas to play SMU next Tuesday.
I understand that Kelsey won't be talking about any of the stuff that I just outlined. No coach would.
"Our guys have not been caught up in the winning streak," Kelsey said Monday morning on the weekly teleconference of ACC men's basketball coaches.
The Cards' focus has been on giving their "undivided attention to a very, very talented and dangerous Syracuse team."
Kelsey said that before every road trip he tells his players that when they packs their bags, "don't put one pair but put two pairs of defense in your bag because that travels."
But this column is a One-Game-At-A-Time Free Zone. I'm clear to ask the primary questions that pop up when you look at the Cardinals' upcoming schedule:
How far can the Cards stretch their current six-game winning streak, including five in a row in league play? And how many of their 20 ACC games can Louisville win?
First, a note about the winning streak. The last time the Cards won seven straight was the second of Chris Mack's four seasons here.
They ran off 10 straight wins from Jan. 7 to Feb. 8, 2020. Then they lost four of their last seven before COVID-19 canceled the ACC and NCAA tournaments.
But make a note of this: This is only the third time that has happened since the program joined the league for the 2014-15 season.
Rick Pitino failed to win more than four straight during his three ACC seasons.
David Padgett had a four-game ACC run during his one winter as the interim head coach.
Mack won six straight in 2019 and 10 straight in 2020.
In the shortened 2021 season, Mack won four conference games in a row.
In 2022, U of L started ACC play with Mack as the coach on a four-game winning streak. They ended ACC play with Mike Pegues in charge without winning back-to-back games the rest of the way.
Over 40 games and two seasons, Kenny Payne's teams never won back-to-back league games.
Louisville has three ACC road wins this season. Only Duke can match that. Seven ACC teams have yet to win a league game away from home.
Kelsey credits the success to something he calls the pursuit of Road Excellence.
"It's just about the process, about how we go about the travel there," Kelsey said. "Then once we get there, it's the quality of our film sessions, the quality of our walk-throughs, the quality of our shootarounds.
"We're very regimented in what we do, the way we travel. And our processes are very consistent. I don't know if that leads to success, but that's how we go about our business."
Although Pomeroy's analytics formula has Louisville favored in 13 of its remaining 14 regular season games, his final projected league record for the Cards is 15-5, tied for second in the ACC, four games behind Duke.
At Bart Torvik, another analytics site, the Cards are also favored against everybody except SMU with a projected final record of 16-4. That would leave them alone in second place, ahead of Clemson.
"That's just all we harp on, is believe in the process, and the results will take care of themselves," Kelsey said.
"And that's kind of been coming to fruition, because our guys haven't been caught up in a win streak or what happened yesterday, what happened the last week.
"It's about the next thing. That doesn't guarantee elite results. That doesn't guarantee that we're going to win tomorrow. But that's just how we go about our stuff."
Right now the Cards are going about their stuff in a way that has people asking how Pat Kelsey and his players go about their stuff.
Louisville Basketball Coverage:
- BOZICH | My weekly Associated Press men's college basketball Top 25 ballot
- CRAWFORD | Louisville looked like a program on its way back in 82-78 win at Pitt
- BOZICH | Is Louisville the most improved men's power conference program? A look at the numbers
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