Louisville basketball makes its regular-season debut this evening as the No. 11 Cardinals take on Chattanooga. UofL enters this game with lofty expectations after an undefeated preseason, including a road win against No. 17 Kansas.
Louisville basketball vs Chattanooga final odds and a prediction
Cardinals fans are starving for a Final Four run, and many believe Pat Kelsey can make it happen this year. UofL added 11 players this offseason, including multiple 5-stars in Flory Bidunga and Obinna Ekezie Jr.
Now, the journey begins tonight. Louisville fans have been eagerly waiting for the season to start, and now we are just hours away from the official tip-off for Card Nation. So, with the season officially here, let’s make some bold predictions.
3. Obinna Ekezie Jr. will start by 2027
Our first bold prediction is that 5-star freshman Obinna Ekezie Jr. will start by 2027. We saw his potential in the Kansas exhibition game, where he made four 3-pointers and blocked five shots, and we think he'll carry that into the regular season.
UofL has some non-conference blockbusters against Michigan, Texas, Kentucky, and others, and Ekezie will have a chance to shine and prove he can start and play alongside Bidunga. Louisville will need a 3-point shooter to space the floor, and if Bidunga continues to improve from beyond the arc, he has a clear path to start.
2. Flory Bidunga wins ACC Player of the Year
At a conference loaded with talent, the ACC Player of the Year award will be a major battle. However, we predict Flory Bidunga will win this award, as he will average a near double-double and take a jump on offense.
Last year, Bidunga earned All-Big 12 First-Team and won the Defensive Player of the Year award after averaging 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. We think Bidunga will take a leap on offense and average around 16 points per game, while remaining a dominant force on defense, averaging around 2.5 blocks and 9.5 rebounds per game.
With Biundga taking that leap on offense, we think he will lead Louisville to be one of the top teams in the nation and to take home the ACC Player of the Year award.
1. Louisville goes to the Final Four
The Cardinals have a chance to be really special this year, and we are here to tell you why. We think the Cards will snap their Final Four drought and will play in April this year. Kelsey made crucial adjustments this offseason by attacking his frontcourt and adding veteran scorers in his backcourt.
Louisville is going to be much more physical this year, adding Bidunga, Seth Trimble, Karter Knox, and De'shayne Montgomery. On top of their elite defense, Kelsey kept Adrian Wooley and added one of the top point guards from the portal, Jackson Shelstad.
We are very high on this unit, and while they need to find a way to shoot the ball from beyond the arc, we think they are poised for a deep March Madness run. We think Louisville will return to the ACC Championship Game, be a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and at least make it to the Final Four because of their experience, physicality, and defense.
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