Pat Kelsey officially has the Louisville Cardinals back to their winning ways in the Battle for the Bluegrass rivalry. The Cardinals dominated the Cats most of the first 30 minutes of the game, and survived a late comeback attempt to win 96-88 at the YUM! Center. The Cardinals appeared to be the aggressor and played a cleaner brand of basketball than their in-state foes, leading to their first victory against the Cats since the COVID pandemic.
This win is not only a testament to how far this program has come under Kelsey. It also propels Louisville directly into Final Four discussions and further cements its spot as a national championship contender. This team, when firing on all cylinders, can play and compete with any team in the country. They possess depth, 3-point shooting, strong defense, and all the tools for success, and hopefully a late run in March.
Here are 2 Louisville Cardinals whose stock is rising and 2 whose stock is falling after the massive win over the Kentucky Wildcats.
2 Louisville Cardinals stocks rising, 2 that are falling after win against Kentucky
Rising: Sanada Fru, F
How impressive was Sananda Fru in this game? For all of the question marks that he had entering the season, as well as lackluster play early in the season, Fru showed up to have his best game to date and absolutely dominated the paint for the Cards. Fru had a diverse stat line, ending the night with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. His presence was felt all night, and there was a noticeable drop-off in this position when he went to the bench.
Fru’s play in this game is a welcome sign to all Cards fans, many of whom had extremely high hopes that he could be the go-to big man for Pat Kelsey’s squad this season. This performance solidified his role on the team and has shown how much he has grown in such a short amount of time. The sky’s the limit for how much further this guy can progress as the season continues. Having a solid contributor and presence in the middle will be a crucial component for the Cardinals' success.
Falling: Adrian Wooley, G
Sophomore Adrian Wooley honestly did not play a terrible game. He finished the night with nine points and five rebounds in 17 minutes of action off the bench. However, if you look closer at the numbers, the shooting percentage leaves little to be desired. Wooley finished the night shooting 27.3% overall and 28.6% from 3-point land. Louisville fans were hoping he could be another dynamic shooter to pair alongside Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely, but Wooley just hasn’t quite gotten to their level just yet.
Wooley is still finding his place on this team, coming off the bench and being a key contributor while the starters take a breather. Pat Kelsey will expect more from Wooley, especially as the year continues. It would be no surprise to look at the box score one night and see that Adrian Wooley led the team in scoring when others struggled to shoot the ball. That’s one of the perks of being as deep a team as Louisville has shown to be in the early going.
Rising: Mikel Brown Jr., G
In his biggest stage to this point in his early career (and potentially one of the biggest stages he will have this season), Mikel Brown Jr. put all of his talents on full display and was the straw that stirred Pat Kelsey’s offense. Brown finished the night with a massive 29 points on 50% shooting and added two rebounds and five assists. He was all over the floor and showed why most should have him as a top 5 pick in next year's NBA draft.
He was the X-factor for this game, and a problem that Kentucky failed to solve for most of the night. Kelsey and Brown were able to put him in positions to succeed most of the night. Whether he was driving to the basket or hitting open 3-pointers, Brown was a force on the offensive end for the Cardinals. His ability to see the floor and make absolutely insane passes (thinking the kick outs while driving to the basket on multiple occasions) is a special talent that very few possess. His progression and continual improvement will be an absolute pleasure to watch this season for Cards fans.
Falling: Khani Rooths, F
Khani Rooths only makes this category simply because he did not play many minutes compared to the first two games. And honestly, he didn’t really have to. J’Vonne Hadley shouldered most of the weight for the “4” spot on the Cardinals, utilizing his seniority and experience to assist in high-pressure situations and help this team to victory. Rooths had a quiet night, only posting one steal on the stat sheet in 11 minutes. Rooths never got into the flow of the game and seemed out of rhythm on the offensive end.
After the first two games of the season, most had Rooths taking a giant leap in year 2 with Pat Kelsey. That may still be the case, but tonight was not a justification for this narrative. Rooths is still the solid player that we all saw in the first two games. Tonight was just not one of the games where he could make a major impact on the game with his skills. Luckily, the depth of the Cardinals allows others to pick up the slack and step up game to game as others struggle. Rooths is a fun member of this team to watch, and there is no doubt he will continue to be a significant presence on this squad for the rest of the year.