Louisville basketball is dominating the Transfer Portal yet again, as the Cardinals last year ranked No. 3 in the nation after landing three top 25 transfers, and now this year, Pat Kelsey has landed two transfers in the top 16. Sunday afternoon, Louisville landed the No. 1 overall transfer in the portal in Flory Bidunga, a former 5-star point guard, and No. 16 overall transfer Jackson Shelstad.
5 win-now players who could commit to Louisville after Flory Bidunga, Jackson Shelstad
Louisville’s offseason now ranks unanimously No. 1 in the nation, and with Louisville losing nine of its top ten players from last year, Kelsey isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The Cardinals are still in the mix for many big-time transfers, but one target is really trending on Twitter at the moment.
Saint Mary’s transfer Paulius Murauskas is becoming the Cardinals' fans' next top target, as Louisville fans can’t stop talking about him.
Paulius Murauskas emerges as the perfect target for Pat Kelsey and Louisville
Louisville has its starting point guard and starting center, and now Kelsey is turning his attention to the other three positions. The hope is Adrian Wooley returns and starts at shooting guard, which means the forward positions are the next targets for the Cardinals.
Louisville’s frontcourt was a huge weakness last year, and the Cardinals are looking to have one of the best frontcourts in the country next season. Bidunga is the No. 1 center on the portal and the No. 1 player overall, and with Louisville making a strong push for Murauskas, it would be the perfect fit next to Bidunga and give Louisville a dominant duo in its frontcourt.
Murauskas ranks as high as No. 8 overall in the Transfer Portal and No. 2 among power forwards. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward is an elite scorer, averaging 18.4 points while shooting 48%.2 percent from the field. The Saint Mary’s transfer scored the second-most points in the conference and shot the third-highest percentage in the conference. He is an efficient scorer who scored 20 points or more 15 times and 30 points or more twice this past season.
He can back his defender down, shoot from midrange, make contested jump shots, and he can even make some shots from beyond the arc. He would space the floor for Louisville, which would open the paint for Bidunga, and he would be the perfect power forward to play alongside the 5-star transfer.
He added  7.6 rebounds per game as well, and he went on to make the All-West Coast Conference Team. The Cardinals lost four forwards this offseason to the Transfer Portal already, and with Louisville making a push for Murauskas, if the Cards can land the 4-star transfer, he would immediately put this team right in the NCAA Title conversation.
Related: Projected Louisville lineup with Flory Bidunga, Jackson Shelstad should terrify Duke
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