Pat Kelsey has moved Louisville past the point where patience is part of the conversation.
That’s what makes Sports Illustrated’s latest center rankings such a revealing marker for the Cardinals. Flory Bidunga, Louisville’s prized Kansas transfer, landed at No. 3 among the top 10 centers for the 2026-27 season, sitting behind only Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas and Florida’s Rueben Chinyelu.
Bidunga was ranked ahead of big names from Michigan, Gonzaga, Duke, UConn, Kentucky and Illinois. For Louisville, that’s more than a flattering line in a preseason list. It’s another sign that the Cardinals are expected to play deep into March, not just show up.
The bar has changed. Making the NCAA Tournament is no longer the finish line.
Winning a game or two there won’t be enough to call this thing a success. Kelsey has built a roster that looks capable of chasing a national title, and Bidunga may be the piece that makes it all hang together.
What makes Bidunga such a force is the way he already impacts games on both ends. At Kansas last season, the 6-foot-10 center put up 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and finished fourth nationally in blocks.
He’s not just a rim protector, either. He can switch onto smaller players, defend away from the basket and turn defense into quick offense with his athleticism.
That package gives Louisville something every serious contender needs: a defensive anchor who can erase mistakes and create easy scoring chances as a lob target, offensive rebounder and pick-and-roll finisher.
Sports Illustrated did raise one important question - whether Bidunga’s offense can take another step at Louisville. That’s the kind of leap that could push him into national player of the year territory.
But the Cardinals don’t need him to become a traditional post scorer for this team to work. Kelsey has already loaded the roster with enough playmakers and shooters to put Bidunga in position to do what he does best.
Oregon transfer Jackson Shelstad brings a scoring and passing résumé that includes 15.6 points and 4.9 assists in an injury-shortened season. North Carolina transfer Seth Trimble adds another established ballhandler after averaging career highs of 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season.
And the portal haul didn’t stop there. Louisville also brought in Karter Knox, Alvaro Folgueiras, De’Shayne Montgomery and 7-foot-5 Gabe Dynes, while five-star freshman Obinna Ekezie adds more frontcourt depth.
This wasn’t a patchwork fix. The Cardinals landed the nation’s No. 1 transfer class and still found room to add Trimble in August.
Kelsey deserves the credit for getting Louisville back to relevance so quickly. In each of his first two seasons, the Cardinals reached the NCAA Tournament after the program managed only 12 total wins across Kenny Payne’s two-year disaster. That’s a stunning turnaround.
But the next step is a different kind of test.
Louisville hasn’t made the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2015, and that drought used to explain how far the program had fallen. With this roster, it becomes the standard Kelsey is now expected to clear.
There are still some natural questions. A portal-heavy roster has to build chemistry and define roles.
Shelstad has had injury issues. Trimble isn’t a reliable outside shooter.
Bidunga, for all his impact, still has room to grow on offense.
None of that changes the ceiling.
Louisville has an elite defensive center, veteran guards, major-conference transfers and enough size to handle foul trouble or injuries. Kelsey has more talent and more lineup options than he’s had at any point in his career.
Sports Illustrated’s ranking didn’t just place Bidunga among the best centers in college basketball. It underscored how serious Louisville’s roster has become.
The rebuilding job is done. Now the Cardinals have to turn all that talent into a March run.
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