3. Pat Kelsey's offseason worked to perfection
Pat Kelsey had one of the best transfer portal offseasons college basketball may have ever seen. Louisville outsmarted the nation. The Cardinals made it clear early that they wanted the three best guards who could be elite shooters. They landed exactly that in Ryan Conwell, Adrian Wooley, and Isaac McKneely.
According to Kentucky fans, the Cardinals then seemed to take a break and miss out on some players, but in all reality, Kelsey was trying to either bring in Nate Ament or bring Pryor back. With Pryor returning, this roster is set to be one of the best in the nation, as they will have an elite 11-man depth chart.
Louisville's starting five features three elite shooters, as all three of their transfers shot above 40 percent last season. Not all three will start as they will join 5-star commit Mikel Brown Jr. The No. 1 point guard from the 2025 class will lead the team next year, and now joining Brown will be the highly explosive power forward, Kasean Pryor.
Pryor started in three of his seven games with the Cardinals last season. Kelsey's offseason plan worked out to be perfect, as Louisville secured two 5-star guards, two 4-star guards, and returned two key starters from last season.
Related: Way-too-early starting five projection for the Louisville Cardinals 2025-26 season