Fun Fact Friday: FSU Has Handed Louisville Its Only ACC Loss in Both Men’s and Women’s Hoops

Whether it’s men’s or women’s basketball, the Louisville Cardinals are the highest ranked team in the ACC.

Both teams are ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll. Both the Louisville men and women have 20 wins on the season and both have just one loss in ACC play.

But that’s not all the teams have in common. In both cases, that lone ACC loss came at home to Florida State.

After starting 10-0 in conference and 20-1 overall, the Louisville women watched their 13-game winning streak come to a crashing halt on Thursday night with a 67-59 loss to FSU. Kiah Gillespie finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds in the win. FSU’s Nick Ekhomu and Louisville’s Dana Evans each finished with 18 points and six assists.

The Seminoles led by 11 early, but the Cardinals drew even in the fourth quarter. With the contest tied 42-42, FSU answered with a 13-0 run to seize control in the victory.

It marked the second straight home loss to FSU for the Cardinals. As the No. 2 team in the nation, Louisville fell at home to FSU in 2017, 50-49. With the defeat, the Cardinals now sit a half-game behind NC State in the ACC.

At 11-1 in conference, the Louisville men currently sit alone atop the ACC standings. The lone loss for the Cardinals came by a 78-65 margin on Jan. 4 to FSU. M.J. Walker paced the Seminoles with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting in the win. Trent Forrest added 20 points on an uber-efficient 9-for-11 from the field.

Since falling to the Seminoles, Louisville has won nine straight and currently holds a 1 1/2-game lead over both FSU and Duke in the conference. Florida State does control its own destiny in the race for the top seed in the ACC Tournament as it is set to host the Cardinals on Feb. 24.

As for the Louisville women, they’ll get to avoid FSU until at least the ACC Tournament. Over the last three seasons, the Cardinals have just three total ACC home losses. Two of those are to the Seminoles.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.