Getty Image
Kentucky fans are taking a moment to troll their rival this week following a recent basketball announcement for the upcoming season. The first ever ACC/SEC Challenge lineup was unveiled on Tuesday, and visibly missing from the field was Louisville.
The absence sparked a reaction from Wildcats supporters as they’ll find any chance possible to jab at their instate foe. Many are posting their reactions online following the observation.
The ACC and SEC announced an annual meeting of the leagues in 2022, with the ’23-’24 season representing the first edition of the regular season matchups on the floor.
The inaugural schedule includes contests between Duke-Arkansas, Kentucky-Miami, and UNC-Tennessee, though not everyone was impressed with the event as a whole.
One team was on the outside looking in when the dust settled due to conference affiliations for the sport of basketball. Notre Dame, while independent in football, holds ACC membership in basketball.
The Fighting Irish give the conference 15 total members while the SEC is stuck at 14 teams for the coming year. To determine which team was left out, the ACC turned to the 2022 league standings.
The Cardinals were by far the conference’s worst performer, posting an abysmal 4-28 overall record. It started with three consecutive one-point losses to mid-majors only to get worse as the team posted a 2-18 mark in ACC play.
Throughout the forgettable year, the school paid $340K to teams that it lost to on its home floor, quickly causing fans to lose interest in watching.
The most entertaining part of the year might’ve been seeing a rogue dog take a squat on the court in the home finale. The perfect encapsulation of the season as a whole.
The campaign represented the program’s worst dating back to 1940-41, and easily its least successful since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Kentucky fans noticed Louisville’s absence from the ACC/SEC Challenge, and they quickly jabbed their rival online.
Looking for Louisville on the ACC/SEC Challenge schedule. pic.twitter.com/CuKbzp7bgT
— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) June 28, 2023
One fan wrote, “Louisville not getting a game in the first ever ACC/SEC Challenge because they were so trash last season is HILARIOUS.”
Another said, “Louisville not making the field is embarrassing.”
#Louisville didn’t even make the cut for the ACC\SEC challenge 😂😂
— Tyler B (@T_Bloyd) June 28, 2023
Louisville is already taking L’s before season’s start. We’ll see if they improve on the court in the coming year.