Louisville basketball will take the floor for the first time this season this evening against the No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks. The Cardinals will finally begin their season, as the fans have been counting down the days since April 10, when Adrian Wooley signed with Louisville.
After Wooley signed with Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals, Louisville, of course, earned two more transfers to load this backcourt up. This backcourt has received tons of praise all off-season, and now, just hours before the fans see it for the first time, ESPN decided to join the party and give Louisville's big three some more praise.
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ESPN just gave Louisville's big three more high praise
Mikel Brown Jr., Isaac McKneely, and Ryan Conwell have been getting the spotlight for the Cardinals all summer and fall, and the praise continues. Recently, Andy Katz praised these three players, and now ESPN is the latest media outlet to shine a light on the Cardinals' backcourt.
ESPN recently dropped its top 100 players entering the 2025-26 season, and by no surprise, the Cardinals' big three made the list. Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf ranked these 100 players, placing all three in the top 80, two in the top 50, and one in the top 25.
The first Cardinal on the list was the Virginia transfer and elite sharpshooter. McKneely is ranked No. 80 on the list entering his senior season, and with this fast-paced offense, the Cardinals fans cannot wait to see this elite shooter shoot teams out of the gym.
Following McKneely was the Xavier transfer who came in ranked No. 33. Borzello has a lot of excitement for Conwell with the Cards, as he ended his paragraph by stating, "He's going to be among the best scorers in the ACC."
After Conwell, of course, is the 5-star sensation and elite point guard Mikel Brown Jr., Donovan Mitchell has gone on social media to state that Brown Jr. has generated the most buzz out of any Louisville basketball commit in the history of the program, and he is 100 percent right. He enters his true freshman season ranked No. 24, but there is no question he can be a top-15 player in this league and a future top-10 pick in the NBA Draft.
Louisville's backcourt, with three players in the top 80, proves this team is destined for a deep postseason run. Add Adrian Wooley, who should be in this list too, and this team has its eyes set on that ACC Title and the Final Four.
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For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.