Louisville basketball fans are excited for the upcoming season as the Cardinals have built one of the most expensive rosters in the nation. Pat Kelsey had an incredibly busy offseason, having to replace all five starters, including his top four scorers, and nine of his top 10 players from this past season.
Kelsey went out and dominated the Transfer Portal and landed multiple 2026 recruits, adding nine players and the No. 1 overall portal class. Kelsey landed the No. 1 overall transfer in Flory Bidunga and paired him with 5-star center Obinna Ekezie Jr. while adding key players in Jackson Shelstad and Karter Knox.
Louisville fans are hoping this is the year the Cardinals can snap their Final Four drought, and while they have a legitimate chance, it is clear not everyone is fully bought in on Louisville just yet. College Basketball Insider for CBS Sports Jon Rothstein just released his ACC Preseason Power Rankings, and the Cardinals come in ranked behind Duke and Virginia.
Louisville still has something to prove despite No. 1 transfer class
When looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, the Duke Blue Devils are one of the top dawgs not just in the ACC, but in the nation. Duke currently has the best odds to win the 2027 National Title at +600, as Jon Scheyer landed the No. 1 2026 recruiting class and the No. 10 Transfer Portal class.
So, it isn’t a huge surprise to see Duke is ranked No. 1 in the CBS Sports preseason power rankings, but what is a little surprising is that Virginia is No. 2, and then Louisville is No. 3.
The Cardinals had one of the best offseasons in college basketball, and seeing them fall behind the Cavaliers is a bit of a shock. To back this up, Louisville currently has the No. 9 highest odds to win the 2027 National Title with +2500 odds, while Virginia has the No. 13 highest odds to win the National Championship with +4000 odds.
While Virginia is coming off a 30-win season and is returning four key players, the Cardinals' massive Transfer Portal haul and key additions from the 2026 recruiting class have them ranked ahead of Virginia in many preseason rankings, like ESPN’s.
The top of the ACC should be fun to watch between these three programs, but the Cardinals fans are hoping this year is much different than last year. Louisville has to find a way to beat these big-time teams, and once they do, Rothstein and others will likely close this gap between Louisville and Duke.
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