Louisville basketball got crushing news this afternoon as Duke officially earned John Blackwell's commitment. Late Monday afternoon, Joe Tipton predicted that Blackwell would commit to Duke, and shortly after, On3 Sports gave Duke a 99.9 percent chance of earning his commitment, and 247Sports gave Duke a Crystal Ball prediction.
The Cardinals were making a strong push for Blackwell, as Kelsey flew out to meet with him last week, but after the 5-star didn't make his visit to Louisville following his visit to Duke on Monday, the Cardinals fans knew he was going to the Duke Blue Devils. So, with Duke stealing Blackwell away from the Cardinals, now Louisville will try to pivot.
So, here are two dream, two reach, and two realistic targets for Louisville after John Blackwell's update.
Dream: Milan Momcilovic
Louisville needs to go get a stretch four for the power forward position, and if Louisville fans want to dream, the best fit would be Milan Momcilovic. The Cardinals would be a perfect fit for Momcilovic, and with Blackwell now committed to Duke, they have a lot more money to spend.
However, Momcilovic will likely go the NBA route, but if he doesn’t, the Cardinals might have a glaring dream target. The 5-star transfer is an elite 3-point shooter who made 48.7 percent of his attempts this past season, and made a whopping 3.7 3’s per game and 136 3’s on the season. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound power forward averaged 16.9 points per game and scored 20 points or more in 15 games and 30 points or more in one game.
Momcilovic ranks as a 5-star transfer, No. 2 overall and No. 1 among power forwards.
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Reach: Juke Harris
With Louisville missing out on Blackwell, the next dream target at the shooting guard position would be Juke Harris. The ACC star is an elite scorer who averaged a dominant 21.4 points while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 33.2 percent from 3-point range.
He scored the sixth-most points in Division I basketball and the second-most points in the ACC, only behind Cameron Boozer. He averaged 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game and went on to win the ACC Most Improved Player of the Year award and made the All-ACC Second Team.
The Cardinals are already in contact with him, but will have to battle Michigan, Tennessee, and UNC. Harris ranks No. 4 overall and No. among shooting guards in the Transfer Portal.
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Realistic: Chol Machot
The Cardinals still need to attack their frontcourt, and someone Louisville and Kelsey are in contact with is the 4-star center Chol Machot. With Kelsey having connections with Charleston, it feels like this could be one Kelsey really begins to target.
The 7-foot center is an athletic big man who can shoot and space the floor, but is best known for his elite rim protection. Louisville’s frontcourt was its biggest flaw this past season, and Machot would be a huge piece off the bench. He ranked in the top 10 in Division I basketball for total blocks and blocks per game, earning CAA Defensive Player of the Year.
Machot averaged 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 59.2 percent from the floor, and ranks as a 4-star transfer, No. 147 overall and No. 14 among centers in the portal.
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Dream: Paul McNeil
Louisville needs an elite 3-point shooter, and maybe the best 3-point specialist available at the moment is Paul McNeil. The North Carolina State transfer averaged 13.8 points while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 42.7 percent from beyond the arc this past season.
He averaged 3.1 3-pointers per game and made an impressive 105 3’s in the 2025-26 season. The sophomore guard made three or more 3-pointers in 18 games this past season, including a dominant 11 made 3’s against Texas Southern.
McNeil ranks as high as a 4-star transfer, No. 23 overall and No. 3 among shooting guards.
Reach: Paulius Murauskas
The Cardinals were once a frontrunner for the 4-star Saint Mary’s transfer Paulius Murauskas. Arizona State emerged as the new favorite, but with Louisville likely looking to spend big money elsewhere, is there a chance Kelsey gets back involved?
Murauskas would be a dream addition, as he is a physical power forward and can space out the floor. He is coming off a dominant year with the Gaels after averaging 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the floor. Murauskas made a career high 36 3-pointers this past season and has made 83 in his career while shooting 33.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Murauskas ranks No. 9 overall in the portal and No. 4 among power forwards.
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Realistic: Alvaro Folgueiras
One Louisville fan who is expecting to commit sooner rather than later is the Iowa transfer, Alvaro Folgueiras. The 4-star transfer is a stretch four who would fit perfectly at the power forward position in what Kelsey is building.
He has hit 101 3-pointers so far in his career, including 45 his sophomore season when he shot 41.3 percent from beyond the arc. He started his career at Robert Morris, where he won the Horizon League Player of the Year and made the All-Horizon League First-team that sophomore season. The 4-star transfer averaged an eye-popping  14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
Now, he is coming off a season with Iowa where he helped lead the Hawkeyes to the Elite 8. Louisville has a 100 percent chance of landing his commitment, according to On3 Sports, and he ranks No. 54 overall and No. 13 among power forwards in the Transfer Portal.
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