Louisville basketball: 4 bold predictions vs. Virginia Tech

Uh oh, L’s Up

Presley Meyer: Louisville lands a 2021 commitment

While Louisville basketball and their seniors look to go out in style over Virginia Tech on Sunday, the coaching staff and program will be hosting several elite recruits from the class of 2021.

We all know about the struggles of the 2020 recruiting cycle and how it didn’t go the way we thought it would early on, but so far 2021 is off to a great start and we’ll get to see the fruit of that against Virginia Tech.

As Jacob Lane wrote yesterday, the Cards will get an official visit from 7’0 big man Efton Reid over the weekend as they look to land their replacement for Steven Enoch and Malik Williams. On most weekends that would be incredible news, but as Jake Weingarten reported yesterday Reid won’t be alone.

Louisville will also play host to top targets Trey Kaufman and Aminu Mohammed, a four-star power forward and five-star wing respectively. They’ll also have Rodney Rice and Blake Wesley on campus, both of whom have become recently new targets for Chris Mack but have yet to be offered.

Mack has been on Kaufman and Mohammed for quite some time now, and both look to be seriously considering the Cards – which means getting them on campus this early is a huge deal. The atmosphere at the Yum! will be absolutely incredible as the seniors are celebrated, which will make it a great place to be for recruits.

With all of these recruits still early on in their recruiting journey, it isn’t necessarily crazy to think all could leave campus without committing, but that’s not how I see things going.

Chris Mack learned the hard way last season what happens when you let other targets leave campus without committing, as not only did several recruits leave the Ville without committing but several committed on their visits elsewhere prior.

If you think you’re upset with how things went the last cycle, imagine how Mack has felt over the last few months. He’s not the type of guy to get down in the dumps or let things affect him, clearly, as he landed several really good pieces for the future. But there’s no doubt he hears the criticism and whispers about his ability to land elite-level players.

2021 has the potential to be a monster class as Louisville will be looking to replace the entirety of the upperclassmen on the roster, as well as potentially NBA bound players like David Johnson, Sam Williamson, and Jay Scrubb. Opportunity for playing time and the ability to “the guy” right away will be there, and while it may not be his style, Mack will have to sell that hard.

Not only will Louisville walk away with a win over Virginia Tech, but they’ll have their second elite recruit to join lone commit, Bryce Hopkins.