Louisville basketball gets one more dress rehearsal before the games start counting, and Wednesday night brings the first home look at a rebuilt roster that already turned heads with a road win over Kansas.
The Cardinals take on Mercyhurst on Oct. 28 in their second and final exhibition game, coming off that 89-83 victory over the Jayhawks. Louisville’s new group - built by Kelsey and stocked with 11 offseason additions - has already flashed plenty of promise, and now the fan base gets its first chance to see the team inside KFC Yum! Center.
That Kansas game offered an early snapshot of what this roster can be. Jackson Shelstad paced Louisville with 23 points, while 5-star Obinna Ekezie Jr. came off the bench and delivered 16 points, eight rebounds and five blocks in just 19 minutes.
Wednesday also gives Louisville fans another update on two key players working back from offseason surgeries: Ekezie and Karter Knox. Both appeared in the Kansas exhibition off the bench, with Ekezie looking dominant and Knox logging 12 minutes. Earlier this week, the coaching staff said Knox is getting closer to full strength.
“Right now I think his knee is healthy. I think now he is going through the mental side of it and trusting it.
I think he is really close to being 100%. But he is healthy.
The sky is the limit for him and he has all types of potential.”
The Mercyhurst game is the last tune-up before Louisville opens the regular season Nov. 2 against Chattanooga. The Cardinals enter the year ranked No. 11 and carrying high expectations after an offseason that brought in the No. 1 transfer Flory Bidunga, along with Ekezie and a group of experienced additions that includes Shelstad, Knox, Alvaro Folgueiras and De'Shayne Montgomery.
Louisville’s first true test after the opener comes Nov. 15 at Memphis, but first comes one more chance to sharpen things up, tighten the chemistry and let the newcomers hear what a night at the KFC Yum! Center sounds like.
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