College Basketball Power 10: Who Runs The Pac-12?

Feb 8, 2017; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Allonzo Trier (35) and center Dusan Ristic (14) and forward Lauri Markkanen (10) walk up court during the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at McKale Center. Arizona won 74-67. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Louisville (21-5)

It was not an easy week for Louisville. They only beat Miami by five, 71-66, and needed overtime to take down Syracuse on the road. The Cardinals survived, though, and are now just a half game behind North Carolina for first in the ACC.

The Cardinals also got back guard Quentin Snider, who is their second leading scorer. Snider returned with 13 points against Miami and 14 points, six assists and four rebounds on the road at Syracuse.

Louisville’s success will come on the defensive end, but returning Snider after he missed six games should improve their 95th nationally ranked scoring offense. He gives a mediocre offensive team another playmaker as he also leads the team in assists per game.

Despite a loss to Virginia a couple of weeks ago and two close wins, a bright spot for Louisville is the play of Deng Adel. He has scored in double-digits in each of his past seven games to solidify himself as Louisville’s third option on offense.

Louisville is hard to figure out this season, but they haven’t lost to an unranked team this season and are tied for second place in one of the toughest conferences in the nation.

Louisville’s only game this week is at home against Virginia Tech.