Pat Kelsey turned the Louisville basketball program around in just one year. But can his instant success stick for year two with the Cardinals?
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Louisville basketball.
Was there a better coach in college basketball last season than Pat Kelsey? He took the Cardinals from an 8-24 season in 2023-24 to a 27-win season last year, an improvement of 19 wins from Kenny Payne’s final season in town.
The guard and wing play for Louisville was fantastic last season – four players who all averaged at least 12 points per game. But only one is back, and that’s J’Vonne Hadley, who is now a sixth-year senior.
However, it’s another guard-oriented team, with five-star point guard Mikel Bown Jr., stud Xavier scoring guard Ryan Conwell, and standout UVA guard Isaac McKneely. Those three should make for a great trio of ball-handlers, with Hadley as a 6-foot-7 ‘guard’ playing the four-spot. Plus, off the bench is Adrian Wooley, who put up 18.8 points per game as a freshman at Kennesaw State, and Kobe Rogers, who played a solid role at College of Charleston, but redshirted last season while recovering from a knee injury.
The frontcourt is also deep, but talent could be a question. The starting center spot is likely Sananda Fru’s job, an international freshman. Aly Khalifa, who was out last year with an ACL injury, should also play big minutes as a 7-footer who averaged more assists per game (4.0) than rebounds per game (3.7). And then there’s Kasean Pryor, who was a key part of Louisville’s rotation to start last season, before he suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
There’s even more depth further down the roster, as Kelsey legitimately has 11 guys who could find minutes to start the season.
Right off the bat, it’s looking like another elite year for Louisville and it’s clear they made the right hire in nabbing Kelsey two years ago.
Head coach: Pat Kelsey (2nd season at Louisville, 14th season overall)
2024-25 record: 27-8 (18-2)
2025 postseason finish: Lost to Creighton (89-75) in first round of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Terrence Edwards (16.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.7 APG)
- Chucky Hepburn (16.4 PPG, 5.8 APG, 3.5 RPG, 2.4 SPG)
- Reyne Smith (13.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 37.9 3P%)
- James Scott (7.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 75.5 FG%)
- Noah Waterman (6.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 0.4 APG)
- Aboubacar Traore (4.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, 52.9 FG%)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Kentucky (Nov. 11)
- vs. Ohio (Nov. 15)
- at Cincinnati (Nov. 21)
- at Arkansas (Dec. 3)
- at Indiana (Dec. 6) – Indianapolis, IN
- vs. Memphis (Dec. 13)
- at Tennessee (Dec. 16)
- vs. Baylor (Feb. 14) – Fort Worth, TX
Projected Rotation
PG: Mikel Brown Jr. (6-5, 190, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #8-ranked recruit
SG: Ryan Conwell (6-4, 215, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 16.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 41.3 3P% (Xavier)
SF: Isaac McKneely (6-4, 195, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 14.4 PPG, 2.9 APG, 2.7 RPG, 42.1 3P% (Virginia)
PF: J’Vonne Hadley (6-7, 210, 6th-Yr.)
2024-25 stats: 12.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 51.8 FG%, 38.1 3P%
C: Sananda Fru (6-11, 245, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #161-ranked recruit
6: Aly Khalifa (7-0, 250, Rs.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 5.7 PPG, 4.0 APG, 3.7 RPG, 38.6 FG% (BYU)
*Missed rest of season with ACL injury
7: Kasean Pryor (6-10, 230, 6th-Yr.)
2024-25 stats: 12.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 7 GP
*Missed rest of season with ACL injury
8: Adrian Wooley (6-4, 200, So.)
2024-25 stats: 18.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 51.2 FG%, 42.2 3P% (Kennesaw State)
9: Vangelis Zougris (6-8, 240, Jr.)
247Sports Composite #182-ranked recruit
10: Khani Rooths (6-10, 215, So.)
2024-25 stats: 3.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.3 APG
11: Kobe Rodgers (6-3, 185, Rs.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 9.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 50.0 FG%, 45.0 3P% (College of Charleston)
*Missed 2024-25 season with knee injury
12: Mouhamed Camara (6-8, 225, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #245-ranked recruit
Louisville basketball team MVP: J’Vonne Hadley
Louisville has a grea trio of proven players in Conwell, McKneely, and Hadley, but I’m going with Louisville’s top returning player as the guy to take over with this bunch.
Hadley is also an interesting player and very unique in today’s game. As an undersized power forward, he plays outside to in, but really utilizes the mid-range game, whether than mean driving hard to the bucket or passing out of it. Hadley is a tough assignment to guard, so you have to be physical to have any chance of slowing him down.
On a Louisville team with a lot of scorers and depth, Hadley is the heart and soul. He’ll make sure the team follows his lead night in and night out, especially as a 6th-year senior. He’s just a coach’s dream.
Louisville basketball make-or-break player: Kasean Pryor
I’m very excited to see what Pryor can be for this team once he gets back to full strength. Before last season’s injury, Pryor was doing EVERYTHING for this Cardinals team. He was a scoring threat, rebounder, moved the ball around, and played some of the best defense on the team.
Obviously, an ACL injury can take some time to get back to full strength, but whenever that happens for Pryor, Louisville will get a major boost. He will be a reason you can’t fully judge them until conference play.
Key analytic: 3P%
Consistency from behind the arc is something Louisville will need to find this season. Last year, the Cardinals shot 32.8% from distance, ranking 244th in the nation. But in ACC play, they hit 37.1% from deep, 5th best. That’s a big discrepancy, and while it’s good they improved in conference play, it didn’t set up well for March Madness.
In fact, despite becoming a top three-point shooting team in the ACC, once they played Creighton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it all changed. The Cardinals went just 8-for-29 behind the arc against the Bluejays, going right back to the reality of the non-conference.
It’s a weird stat, and there might not be much to it, but regardless, Kelsey and his squad should try and figure out why that was the case on last year’s team.
Louisville basketball 2025-26 projections
Projected conference finish: 2nd in the ACC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Final Four exit