In regular season matchups against teams ranked No. 1 in the country, Louisville owns an all-time record of 3-5. Under Rick Pitino, the Cards are 2-0 against top-ranked foes in the regular season, defeating both Florida and Kentucky in December of 2003. The win over Kentucky was also the last time the Cardinals faced an undefeated No. 1. UK entered that game with a record of 7-0.
Louisville against top-ranked teams in the regular season:
Louisville 73, Seton Hall 67 (3/2/53)
Kentucky 76, Louisville 75 (12/12/87)
UNLV 97, Louisville 85 (1/26/91)
UCLA 91, Louisville 73 (3/5/95)
Massachusetts 62, Louisville 59 (3/2/96)
Cincinnati 75, Louisville 65 (1/27/00)
Louisville 73, Florida 65 (12/13/03)
Louisville 65, Kentucky 56 (12/27/03)
Additionally, the Cards have faced the nation's No. 1 team in the NCAA Tournament ten times, winning just once. Of course that one win was over Duke in the 1986 national title game.
Here's how the Cards have fared against top-ranked squads in the Big Dance:
Kentucky 79, Louisville 68 (1951)
Ohio State 56, Louisville 55 (1961)
Houston 91, Louisville 75 (1968)
UCLA 96, Louisville 77 (1972)
UCLA 75, Louisville 74 OT (1975)
Houston 94, Louisville 81 (1983)
Louisville 72, Duke 69 (1986)
Indiana 82, Louisville 69 (1993)
Illinois 72, Louisville 57 (2005)
North Carolina 83, Louisville 73 (2008)