Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The Louisville Cardinals are this year’s No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

This is because of the way Louisville played down the stretch, winning its last 10 games in a row, which included victories over Syracuse (twice), Notre Dame (twice), Villanova and Cincinnati.

The Cardinals finished the season with an overall record of 29-5 and they also won a share of the Big East Regular season title and won the Big East tournament. Those two things speak pretty loudly in Louiville’s favor, since the Big East is one of the best conferences of all of college basketball. The eight bids in the big dance shows that.

Louisville made a run to the Final Four last season and this team is in position to do the same this year. The Cardinals will open up the tournament by playing the winner of the play-in game between Liberty and North Carolina A&T.

The Cardinals are one of the best defensive teams in the country. That alone would make them a tough out, but they also have a pretty good offense and an elite scorer in Russ Smith. Smith is averaging 18.1 points per game on the year.

Peyton Siva is also putting up double digits this year, averaging 10 points per game on the season. Siva is easily one of the best point guards in the country, which is pretty crucial come tournament time.

Louisville has been one of the best teams all season long and it was awarded the No. 1 overall seed as a result. This team will take the court on Thursday.