LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In terms of all the moving pieces, this offseason for the Louisville men's basketball program was a lot more similar to the one they experienced when head coach Pat Kelsey first arrived.
For starters, five players saw their eligibility officially run out, five more opted to hit the transfer portal, and another declared for the NBA Draft. On the flip side, six players opted to transfer to the Cardinals, while three more are joining as part of the Class of 2026. While the Cardinals are still a couple players short of the 13-man scholarship limit, not including potential walk-ons, they'll be rolling with this 11-man squad for the 2026-27 season.
While Louisville fell a little short of expectations this past season, it's hard not to imagine them making some noise in year three under Kelsey. With them bringing in the No. 1 portal class and a top-20 high school class, the Cardinals have routinely been tabbed as a top-15 pick amongst way-too-early preseason top 25 polls.
There's still roughly five months until the start of the 2026-27 college basketball season, but with Louisville's roster likely complete, now we can begin a more intimate breakdown and analysis of the roster as a whole. So what are some of our very early projections as to the strengths of next season's team? Here are three below:
Over the first two years under head coach Pat Kelsey, Louisville has been a team that has been primarily led by their backcourt. Players like Chucky Hepburn, Terrence Edwards Jr., Reyne Smith paced the team in year one; then Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely and Adrian Wooley did so in year two.
That's not to say Louisville won't have strong guard play next season. Wooley is running it back for another season with the Cardinals, with Jackson Shelstad and De'Shayne Montgomery being big time additions from out of the transfer portal. That being said, it's hard to argue that the frontcourt is not the strongest area of the floor for UofL.
The primary reason for this is because of the addition of Flory Bidunga, who joinsThe by way of Kansas. He was regarded as the No. 1 transfer in the portal for good reason, as he will be the most impactful big man to suit up for the Cardinals since Montrezl Harrell. The 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward/center is extraordinarily athletic, as he thrives in the pick-and-roll game and has a good set of post moves, and is aggressive around the rim - not to mention he regularly lives above it. His 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game helped him earn a First-Team All-Big 12 selection.
Then right next to him in the starting lineup will be Iowa transfer Alvaro Folgueiras, and the 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward pairs very well with Bidunga. He is a bruising stretch four who can get to the paint with sheer force in various manners, knows how to play off the ball, and of course, can hit threes at a consistent rate. His per-game averages of 8.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists might not jump out to people, but there's important context here, as Iowa played at the fourth-slowest rate in D1 last season. Folguieras actually put up 25.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.7 steals per 100 possessions, all of which were higher than J'Vonne Hadley this past season.
As for who will be the go-to reserve in the frontcourt rotation? That will be Obinna Ekezie Jr., a five-star prospect who was the top-ranked center in high school even after reclassifying from the 2027 cycle. It will likely take a few games once the season starts for him to get in a groove, but he is another high class athlete who brings fantastic size and good feel for the court to the table.
Then you add in the fact that Kelsey added John Andrzejek to be an assistant on his coaching staff, and he is someone who has proven over the years that he knows how to develop big men. Louisville's front court has been a bit of question mark in Kelsey's first two years, but it will be the exclamation mark in year three.
During Kelsey's first two years at the helm, as well as stemming back to his time as the head coach at Winthrop and Charleston, he's been known more so for his team's offensive capabilities. Heading into the 2026-27 season, the script will be flipped, as Louisville's defense will undoubtedly be the strongest end of the court.
The focal point of all these efforts is, once again, going to be Bidunga. When you combine his athletic ceiling with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and a motor that almost never stops, you get someone who collected 2.6 blocks per game (fourth-most in D1) to win Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He's an incredibly versatile defender who can easily guard multiple positions both on and off the ball - which makes up for the fact that Folgueiras isn't super switchable at all, and can usually only defend low post four.
Fortunately, adding to the presence around the rim will be Ekezie. While his offensive game will take some time and in-game reps to adjust to this level, his defensive game will be ready from day one - and it's the end of the court where he excels the most. Not only is he incredibly strong and equipped with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, he has great timing and patience on the defensive end of the floor - while still being opportunistic. Oh, and he's been on record saying part of the reason he committed to Louisville was the opportunity to play some at the four and not just at the five.
The Bidunga/Ekezie duo has a chance to be the best rim protecting combo in the nation. Not to mention that - in the limited minutes he'll likely play - Gabe Dynes' best asset is his defense, and that's another seven-foot rim protector there.
In the paint isn't the only area of the court where Louisville will get good defense. Montgomery, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound transfer guard from Dayton, is an excellent perimeter defender. He's aggressive and efficient on the ball, and positions himself well off of it to jump passing lanes. Arkansas transfer Karter Knox plays great help-side defense, and the 6-foot-6, 220-pound wing can hold his own when guarding twos and fours thanks to his frame and athletic intangibles. Shelstad might not be a Chucky Hepburn-type, but the 6-foot-0, 170-pound guard had a career-high 1.4 steals per game this past season, and has showcased solid timing on steal attempts.
Andrzejek's addition to the bench staff will also help on the defensive end of the floor, considering he was the "defensive coordinator" for the Florida team that won the title in 2025. Additionally, Sean Dixon, another hire to Kelsey's coaching staff, has a defensive-minded background stemming from his time coaching under Brad Brownell at Clemson.
Louisville hasn't shyed away from the three ball in their first two years under Kelsey, which has been a big time component of his scheme - even though it produced mixed results at times. While the three-point shot seemed to be much less of an emphasis in this recruiting cycle than it was last offseason, Kelsey will not be throwing his pace-and-space style out the window. This is because Louisville should be a team that excels in transition offense.
This is partly because of the capabilities of Shelstad, who will be Louisville's primary ball handler for the overwhelming majority of minutes on a nightly basis. He is a the perfect lead guard in a Kelsey system simply because he is one of the quickest and shiftiest players in all of D1 hoops. Any time there's a chance to be the finisher in transition, he jumps at the opportunity. He can typically deliver thanks to both how good of a shot creator he is, and the fact that he flashed some good floor vision this past season.
He's not the only one who can be a transition offense asset on this team. Montgomory is a regular initiator of is thanks in part to how aggressive his overall approach, and his propensity to generate steals and other live-ball turnovers.
In fact, that latter part is another reason as to why Louisville is likely going to be a transition-heavy team this upcoming season. With the amount that was invested this offseason in size, athleticism and defensive prowess, naturally, that is going to lead to an uptick in live-ball turnovers, and then subsequently the fast break.
Bidunga and Ekezie will get their fair share of blocks, not to mention that Knox's help-side defense can generate a good amount of live ball turnovers, as does Montgomery with his stealing ability. Guys like Folgueiras, Wooley and Boyuan Zhang might not have the athleticism that the others do, but they've at least shown a willingness to participate in the fastbreak and not just wait back on defense for the possession to be over.
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(Photo of Pat Kelsey: Alex Martin - Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/louisville as Projecting Louisville's Three Biggest Strengths in 2026-27 .
