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College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 18

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 1, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason (0) celebrates after forcing a turnover during the second half of the game against the Baylor Bears at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 73-68. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason (0) celebrates after forcing a turnover during the second half of the game against the Baylor Bears at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 73-68. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 4, 2017; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) controls the ball during the second half against the Boston College Eagles at Silvio O. Conte Forum. The Louisville Cardinals won 90-67. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) controls the ball during the second half against the Boston College Eagles at Silvio O. Conte Forum. The Louisville Cardinals won 90-67. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
10

Louisville Cardinals

Last week: 23-6, 11-5 ACC
Last rank: 7

Both advanced metrics and the eye test indicate Louisville is on the short list of legitimate national title contenders, but the Cardinals haven’t played consistently over the past month.

Louisville suffered its second loss in a span of three games with an 88-81 loss at Wake Forest on Wednesday night. Rick Pitino got the ship righted defensively in a hurry, as the Cardinals topped Notre Dame in a solid victory to close out the regular season on Saturday.

While plenty of teams have been dominated by Wake Forest’s John Collins this season, it was still a bit of a surprise he found such success against one of the best defenses in the nation. A bigger problem cold shooting in both games this week from Donovan Mitchell, who needs to carry the offense with a usage rate of nearly 25 percent.

Louisville was able to overcome that on Saturday thanks to a strong performance by Quentin Snider and a career-high 18 points off the bench from Mangok Mathiang. The Cardinals’ No. 6 adjusted defense and No. 8 overall ranking in KenPom is still worthy of a championship contender, but has slipped ever so slightly over recent weeks.

Following a double-bye to the quarterfinals, Louisville’s reward will likely be a matchup against Duke on Thursday.