I have been saying over and over how there's a bias in the media, so much so some Cards fans here got annoyed at me, while some even defended or denied the obvious bias. Well, here is a ESPN story that implies Louisville has work to do and is essentially on the bubble.
" The Enigma: Louisville. Why don’t the Cardinals boast a better tournament probability in the ESPN Analytics forecast? A big part of it has to do with a gap between Louisville’s perceived quality in BPI (41st) versus other ratings; it ranks 29th in Ken Pomeroy’s system and 30th in Bart Torvik’s, by comparison. This filters into the projected schedule going forward, where Louisville faces both SMU and Pitt one more time apiece, along with games against a number of the nonzero tourney probability teams listed below as well. And the robustness of Louisville’s tournament bid makes a big difference to the ACC bubble as a whole, because it determines where the cut line is to get in (and maybe even whether the conference can exceed five bids).
Locks: Duke (100%)
Should Be In: North Carolina (88%), Clemson (83%), Pitt (70%)
Work to Do: SMU (57%), Louisville (49) "
So there you go. A 7 loss UNC should be in, and Pitt on a 4 game losing streak should be in. Louisville has defeated all four teams that are not locks but they have work to do.
There's no way a true editor would have approved such a ridiculous assertion about ACC teams and the NCAA tournament unless it was on purpose. ESPN went into that piece wanting to downplay Louisville's results.
It was released before the SMU game so one wonders if ESPN now considers Louisville a "should be in" team after throttling the Mustangs on their own court?
There is a bias against Louisville basketball from not all, but many media pundits. Who thinks the Cards will move up much after the SMU win?
What, #23, maybe 22?
Louisville should be around 15 to 17. They have won 9 games in a row, 7 by double figures, and 5 on the road. They just had two players in the same game, set all time single game records in Louisville hoops history.
They're playing like one of the best teams in the country, with a depleted roster due to injuries. I just don't know what else can be said to convince people there's a bias. What else could it be?
