Louisville’s first exhibition look in the Bahamas came with the kind of lopsided result that tells you plenty, even without a broadcast. The Cardinals rolled past the Bahamas Raw Talent team 101-52 on Tuesday in the Baha Hoops Summer League, and the box score made one thing obvious fast: Flory Bidunga was the center of everything.
The Kansas transfer delivered exactly the sort of all-around impact Louisville can build around. He played a team-high 35 minutes and finished with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, 10 rebounds, six blocks, four assists and a steal. Jacob Polacheck called Bidunga “the engine of this team,” and the numbers backed that up from start to finish.
Bidunga’s offensive line stood out because of what it says about his role. He isn’t being asked to be a stretch big, and there was no hint that Louisville wanted him to play outside his lane. Instead, he looked like the anchor Pat Kelsey can lean on in the frontcourt, doing the dirty work while still giving the Cardinals efficient scoring.
Louisville’s defense was just as loud. The Cardinals forced 22 turnovers and turned them into 38 points.
They also piled up 10 blocks and 16 steals, with Isaac Ellis leading the way with five steals. The Bahamas team also ran into multiple scoring droughts that lasted more than four minutes, another sign of how disruptive Louisville was once it settled in.
The Cardinals also spread the floor and the minutes around in a way that offered a useful early snapshot. Even with Karter Knox and Obinna Ekezie Jr. sidelined by injuries, Louisville used 10 players, with walk-on Will Hanke logging one minute. The starting five featured Jackson Shelstad, London Johnson, Alvaro Folgueiras, De'Shayne Montgomery and Bidunga, while Ellis and junior guard Adrian Wooley each got 20-plus minutes off the bench.
That rotation figure will almost certainly shift once everyone is healthy and the group gets more time together, but Tuesday still gave Louisville a first glimpse at how the pieces can fit.
And even with the game long out of reach, the Cardinals kept pressing. They shot 51.5% from the field in the second half, scored 55 points after halftime and finished the night with late scoring bursts that pushed the final margin all the way to 49.
In Other News...
Louisvilles Biggest Transfer Is Already Hearing Doubts He Wont Ignore
Louisville spent the offseason loading up, adding nine players and six transfers as it tried to turn talent into a roster built to win right away. The headliner is Flory Bidunga, the five-star center from Kansas, whose arrival gave the Cardinals a potential anchor in the middle and instantly raised the ceiling of what this group could become.
But the early conversation around Bidunga has not been all praise. Analyst Rob Dauster recently wondered whether Louisville has an All-American or even a top-five player at any position, and Bidungas offensive game has become part of that debate. He has the tools to develop into one of the best centers in college basketball, but for now the questions around his scoring package are the kind that follow a player with his profile into a new season. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Kelseys First Louisville Lineup Sent A Clear Preseason Message
Louisvilles lone exhibition in the Bahamas offered Pat Kelsey an early look at a roster still taking shape, and the lineup choices were the first real clue to how he wants to sort out the pieces. With Karter Knox and Obinna Ekezie Jr. unavailable, the Cardinals opened with Jackson Shelstad, London Johnson, Alvaro Folgueiras, DeShayne Montgomery and Flory Bidunga, a group that blended backcourt skill, size and versatility as the staff gets a feel for what fits.
The more interesting part for Louisville followers was not just who started, but what the rotation suggested about the pecking order behind them. Adrian Wooley, the highly touted transfer expected to be one of the programs most important guards, was in the mix but not in the opening five, a detail that makes this early snapshot worth watching as the Cardinals continue to sort out roles before the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Flory Bidunga Gave Louisville Fans The Interior Force Theyve Been Waiting For
Louisvilles first look at its new group came in an exhibition against Raw Talent, and the Cardinals wasted little time showing why the frontcourt could be the defining part of this seasons identity. The win was lopsided from the start, but the bigger takeaway for Louisville fans was the debut of Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga, whose combination of size, timing and activity gave the roster the kind of interior presence it has been missing.
Bidunga finished with a strong all-around line, flashing the defensive reputation that made him such a sought-after addition in the portal and giving the Cardinals a glimpse of how disruptive he can be around the rim. Louisville still has plenty to sort out before the games count, but if this was the first public sample of what Bidunga brings, the staff and fan base have reason to believe the middle of the floor will look a lot different this year. [Read more 🡒]