The Louisville Cardinals had a historic season last year, securing their largest win increase from season to season, as they improved by 19 wins. Not only did that break a program record, but it also tied the ACC record, as Louisville's 19 wins tied Duke and Wake Forest's record from the 2021-22 season.
Louisville basketball earned 27 wins last year, which was more wins than they had in their previous three seasons combined. Head coach Pat Kelsey took the Cardinals to the program's first ACC Tournament Championship game, and after their massive offseason, they expect to be right back.
Last month, Kelsey joined Mark Packer and Luke Hancock on ACCPM, and Packer made a prediction that has the Cardinals poised to break history once more.
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Bold Louisville basketball prediction teases golden future under Pat Kelsey.
The Cardinals had one of the best offseasons in the nation as they added 5-star Adrian Wooley and 4-star Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely. The Cardinals backcourt will be led by 5-star Mikel Brown Jr., making this roster one of the best in the nation.
Louisville was recently ranked as the most talented by Sleeper's Media, and now Packer has just called his shot, saying the Cardinals are "the team to beat."
"I got news for everybody. It's just starting," Packer stated. "I am going to go on record right now. This is the team to beat 2025-26 in the league. I'm going to say it right now."
This might be the highest praise Kelsey has earned all off-season. Louisville has been bouncing around in way-too-early rankings, moving from No. 7 to No. 10 to outside the top 12, but Packer is claiming that Louisville is the team to beat. Look out, Duke; the Cardinals are coming for that ACC crown.
"I think the Louisville Cards' are going to be the best team in the ACC men's basketball," Packer concluded his statement.
Duke and Louisville will play each other twice. While the Blue Devils have the best 2025 recruiting class in the nation, the Cardinals opted for the experience route, securing one of the best incoming transfers. Additionally, they were able to land key commitments from future stars in the 2025 class.
"We are excited. We love our team," Kelsey stated on his roster. "We have a great core group coming back from the group we had last year."
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This Cardinals roster has the full potential to do something special, and Packer is just one of the first to pick Louisville over Duke next season. The Cardinals and Blue Devils are expected to be in a heated ACC race, but according to Packer, the Cardinals are here to stay under Kelsey, and they are officially the team to beat next season.
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.