Louisville basketball’s 2026-27 preseason is officially over, with the Cardinals defeating Mercyhurst 71-39. The Cardinals finish the preseason 2-0 after defeating No. 17 Kansas on the road earlier this month in a thrilling exhibition game.
Louisville is hours away from learning if Pat Kelsey lands his dream 5-star PG
Louisville had four players finish with double digits, including 5-star transfer Flory Bidunga, who earned a near double-double in the final exhibition game. The Cardinals' 32-point win had plenty of high moments, but a couple of things were also worrisome before the season officially kicks off on November 2.
So, let’s break down three winners and two losers after Louisville’s win over Mercyhurst.
Winner: Flory Bidunga
The biggest winner of the night was the 5-star transfer Flory Bidunga. The 6-foot-10 center led Louisville in scoring, finishing with 19 points on a dominant 9-of-13 shooting night, plus 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Bidunga rebounded from his slow game against Kansas with a dominant performance against Mercyhurst, including a dunk that quickly grabbed Louisville fans' attention. The Kansas transfer led the charge, scoring first and boxing out his defender for an easy bucket on the block. The 5-star transfer has a high ceiling and a chance to be an All-American for the Cardinals, and if he can have more games like this, he will have a real chance.
Winner: Seth Trimble
After a chaotic few months and multiple court cases, the fifth-year senior was eligible, and in the second preseason game, he showed what he brings to Louisville.
Trimble is a physical defender and an offensive threat, after securing a near triple-double with 10 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in just 23 minutes. The North Carolina transfer shot 4-of-8 from the field and proved he'll be a valuable starter for Kelsey this year.
Winner: De'Shayne Montgomery
One player who went severely under the radar this offseason was Dayton transfer De'Shayne Montgomery. Louisville added 11 players this offseason, and Bidunga, Jackson Shelstad, Karter Knox, and others got a lot of the attention, but Montgomery continues to impress us early on.
The 4-star transfer is an elite two-way player who is a huge piece off the bench for the Cardinals. In just 17 minutes, he finished with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting, marking his third double-digit scoring game. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard scored 20 points in the Bahamas and 10 off the bench on 3-of-5 shooting, including 1-of-2 from downtown, in the Cardinals' win over Kansas.
Loser: 3-point shooting
One of the night's losers was the Cardinals' 3-point shooting. Entering the season, Louisville's 3-point shooting was a concern, and last night showed why. UofL made just two 3s, and the Cardinals shot 2-of-13 from the field, 15.4%.
Louisville saw Karter Knox and Seth Trimble shoot 0-of-2; Shelstad, 1-of-4; Adrian Wooley, 0-of-1; and 4-star freshman Boyuan Zhang, 0-of-2. The Cardinals won’t shoot 46% every night as they did against Kansas, but 2-of-13 was certainly one of the night's low points.
Loser: Turnovers
Another big loser of the night was the 'Cardinals' turnovers. Against Mercyhurst, Louisville needed to protect the ball, but it didn't. Louisville finished with a concerning 17 turnovers, five more than against Kansas.
The Cardinals looked sluggish to start and didn’t seem nearly as motivated, which led to sloppy turnovers. The team is still building chemistry and will take time, but it must quickly learn from this and limit turnovers. Bidunga finished with four, Folgueiras added three, and Montgomery, Wooley and Trimble added two.
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