Louisville basketball secured multiple top recruits and transfers during the past offseason. Louisville is projected to be one of the top teams in college basketball in the upcoming season. The Cardinals entered the season ranked in many experts' preseason top 10, and are as high as No. 6 in multiple experts' eyes.
Pat Kelsey will start his second campaign as the Louisville basketball head coach in nearly two weeks. This season has had the fanbase hyped up for months now, and people around the country will have their eyes on the Cardinals this season.
The program and fans want a National Championship, as they haven't won the big game since 2013, and the Cardinals fans can't even claim it. Louisville has a legitimate chance to make noise this season and make a deep push into April. The Cardinals have +2000 odds to win the National Championship this season, and if Louisville can see production from five specific players, they will have even better odds to run the table.
So here are five Louisville basketball players who must step up to help the Cardinals win the 2026 National Title.