Louisville’s place in ESPN’s latest “Way-Too-Early” Top 25 didn’t budge, and that says plenty about how high the bar already is around Pat Kelsey’s program.
The Cardinals are sitting at No. 13 again in ESPN’s updated rankings, the same spot they held in June. They’re one of five ACC teams in the poll and remain the league’s second-highest-ranked group, trailing only Duke at No. 2.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello pointed to Flory Bidunga as Louisville’s key newcomer, and he didn’t soften the praise.
"He's immediately the best post defender in the ACC upon arrival and should be poised for an All-American caliber season," Borzello wrote.
Behind Louisville in the ACC rankings are Virginia at No. 14, Miami at No. 18 and North Carolina at No.
- At the top of the national poll, Florida claimed the No. 1 spot, with Duke, Illinois, UConn and Michigan rounding out the top five.
Michigan dropped three places after Dusty May left for the Dallas Mavericks.
The names attached to Louisville’s offseason buzz help explain why the Cardinals are staying in this range: Jackson Shelstad, Adrian Wooley, Karter Knox and Alvaro Folgueiras.
That kind of talent haul has pushed expectations up in a hurry. Louisville signed the nation’s top-rated transfer portal class and a Top 15 high school group, and that has kept the preseason hype squarely in place.
"There's great momentum in our program," UofL head coach Pat Kelsey said last week. "You can feel it in town.
You can feel it in this building. We have extremely, extremely high expectations. for this year's team, but you guys know me, we don't talk about outcomes, we talk about process.
And these guys have been great through three weeks in that process and fired up about where we are through three weeks, decided to get out there and get the course started."
In Other News...
Louisville Finally Has The Missing Piece Pat Kelsey Needed Most
Pat Kelsey has already changed the feel of Louisville basketball by dragging the defense from the bottom of the major-conference pack to a place where it can travel with him into any game. The Cardinals were never going to reach their ceiling simply by playing faster on offense, so the offseason emphasis has been on giving the roster more length and athleticism, the kind of bodies that let a team survive the mistakes that come with tempo.
That is why the latest addition matters so much for a program trying to level up again. Louisville believes it finally has the rim protection to back up Kelseys pressure defense and let the guards be aggressive, and the hope is that the new look will make the Cardinals harder to score on without taking away the pace that defines them. The missing piece is in place, at least in theory, and now the real test is whether it can hold up when the games start piling up. [Read more 🡒]
Isaac McKneely Just Got A Chance To Prove He Belongs
Louisvilles draft night carried some familiar satisfaction, with Mikel Brown Jr. going to the Brooklyn Nets and Ryan Conwell landing with the Miami Heat, but the Cardinals also got a reminder that the professional path is not always straight. Isaac McKneely, the Virginia transfer known for his shooting touch, has been given a chance to keep his name in the mix after a strong college career that made him one of the most reliable perimeter threats in the game.
McKneely now heads into Summer League with Atlanta looking to turn that reputation into something more. He was a steady presence for Pat Kelsey, started every game and flashed the kind of scoring burst that can get attention in a hurry, including a big NCAA Tournament showing against USF. For a player whose value has always been tied to making shots, this next stage is about proving he can do it against NBA competition and force the conversation to continue. [Read more 🡒]
Karter Knox Just Added A New Twist To The Louisville Kentucky Rivalry
Louisvilles offseason overhaul brought in six transfers, and Karter Knox is one of the names that gives the roster a little extra intrigue. The former Arkansas wing arrived with the kind of pedigree that makes him worth watching in any setting, and his background only sharpens the conversation around a program that is trying to reset quickly and competitively.
The twist is obvious enough for Cardinal fans to notice: Knox comes from a family with a deep Kentucky connection, which adds another layer to an already tense in-state rivalry. Louisville still has its date with Kentucky in Lexington on Dec. 12, and Knoxs presence gives that matchup an even more personal edge as the Cardinals continue building around a batch of new faces. [Read more 🡒]