Program history
Louisville
in the tournament.
Louisville appears in 45 tournaments in this archive, between 1951 and 2026, with an all-time record of 75–44. 3 of them ended with the net coming down: 1980, 1986 and 2013.
In its opening game it is 18–9. 9 of its 21 games decided by three points or fewer went its way.
Its biggest upset as the underdog came in 2012, when a 4th seed beat the 1st-seeded Michigan State 57–44. The reverse happened in 2011: as a 4th seed it lost to the 13th-seeded Morehead State 62–61.
Its longest run of consecutive appearances is 9, from 2007 to 2015. Its longest absence ran 8 years, between 1951 and 1959. It has met Kentucky 6 times, more than any other opponent.
This archive carries no numeric seed before 1979. Since then it has entered as high as a 1st seed and as low as an 11th.
- 45 Appearances
- 75–44 All-time record
- 3 Titles
Season by season
| Year | Seed | Record | Coach | Conference | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | — | 19–7 | Peck Hickman | Independent | Round of 16 |
| 1959 | — | 19–12 | Peck Hickman | Independent | Fourth Place |
| 1961 | — | 21–8 | Peck Hickman | Independent | Regional third place |
| 1964 | — | 15–10 | Peck Hickman | Independent | First round |
| 1967 | — | 23–3 | Peck Hickman | Missouri Valley | Regional Fourth Place |
| 1968 | — | 20–6 | John Dromo | Missouri Valley | Regional third place |
| 1972 | — | 26–5 | Denny Crum | Missouri Valley Conference | Fourth Place |
| 1974 | — | 21–7 | Denny Crum | Missouri Valley Conference | Regional Fourth Place |
| 1975 | — | 28–3 | Denny Crum | Missouri Valley Conference | Third Place |
| 1977 | — | 21–7 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | Round of 32 |
| 1978 | 2 | 23–7 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | Round of 16 |
| 1979 | 3 | 24–8 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | Round of 16 |
| 1980 | 2 | 33–3 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | Champion |
| 1981 | 4 | 21–9 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | Round of 32 |
| 1982 | 3 | 23–10 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | National semifinals |
| 1983 | 1 | 32–4 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | national semifinals |
| 1984 | 5 | 24–11 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | Round of 16 |
| 1986 | 2 | 32–7 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | champion |
| 1988 | 5 | 24–11 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | lost in the Regional semifinals to Oklahoma, 98–108 |
| 1989 | 4 | 24–9 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | lost in the Regional semifinals to Illinois, 69–83 |
| 1990 | 4 | 27–8 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | lost in the Second Round to Ball State, 60–62 |
| 1992 | 8 | 19–11 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | lost in the Round 2 to UCLA, 69–85 |
| 1993 | 4 | 22–9 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | lost in the Regional semifinals to Indiana, 69–82 |
| 1994 | 3 | 28–6 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | lost in the Regional semifinals to Arizona, 70–82 |
| 1995 | 11 | 19–14 | Denny Crum | Metro Conference (1975–1995) | lost in the Round 1 to Memphis, 56–77 |
| 1996 | 6 | 22–12 | Denny Crum | Conference USA | lost in the Regional Semifinal to Wake Forest, 59–60 |
| 1997 | 6 | 26–9 | Denny Crum | Conference USA | lost in the Regional Final to North Carolina, 74–97 |
| 1999 | 7 | 19–11 | Denny Crum | Conference USA | lost in the Round of 64 to Creighton, 58–62 |
| 2000 | 7 | 19–12 | Denny Crum | Conference USA | lost in the Round of 64 to Gonzaga, 66–77 |
| 2003 | 4 | 25–7 | Rick Pitino | Conference USA | lost in the Round of 32 to Butler, 71–79 |
| 2004 | 10 | 20–10 | Rick Pitino | Conference USA | lost in the Round of 64 to Xavier, 70–80 |
| 2005 | 4 | 33–5 | Rick Pitino | Conference USA | lost in the National Semifinal to Illinois, 57–72 |
| 2007 | 6 | 24–10 | Rick Pitino | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | lost in the Round of 32 to Texas A&M, 69–72 |
| 2008 | 3 | 27–9 | Rick Pitino | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | lost in the regional final to North Carolina, 73–83 |
| 2009 | 1 | 31–6 | Rick Pitino | Big East | lost in the regional final to Michigan State, 52–64 |
| 2010 | 9 | 20–13 | Rick Pitino | Big East Conference | lost in the round of 64 to California, 62–77 |
| 2011 | 4 | 25–10 | Rick Pitino | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | lost in the round of 64 to Morehead State, 61–62 |
| 2012 | 4 | 0–9 | Rick Pitino | Big East Conference | lost in the national semifinal to Kentucky, 61–69 |
| 2013 | 1 | 0–5 | Rick Pitino | Big East | won the national championship game (82–76 vs Michigan) |
| 2014 | 4 | 0–5 | Rick Pitino | American Athletic Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Kentucky, 69–74 |
| 2015 | 4 | 0–8 | Rick Pitino | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the regional final to Michigan State, 70–76 (OT) |
| 2017 | 2 | 25–9 | Rick Pitino | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Michigan, 69–73 |
| 2019 | 7 | 20–14 | Chris Mack (1st season) | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Minnesota, 76–86 |
| 2025 | 8 | 27–8 | Pat Kelsey | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Creighton, 75–89 |
| 2026 | 6 | 24–11 | Pat Kelsey | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Michigan State, 69–77 |
How the games went
| Round | W–L |
|---|---|
| Opening | 18–9 |
| Round of 64 | 25–11 |
| Round of 32 | 9–5 |
| Round of 8 | 6–4 |
| Semifinal | 14–15 |
| Final | 3–0 |
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