Louisville basketball had one of the best offseasons in college basketball as Pat Kelsey and his staff dominated the Transfer Portal. The Cardinals had to replace nearly all of their production from the previous season. They lost all five starters, including All-ACC guards Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown Jr., and lost nine of their top ten players.
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So, with Louisville having to completely rebuild from this past season, Kelsey went to the Transfer Portal for the third straight season and created another eye-popping roster. The Cards have been getting a lot of attention this offseason, and ESPN is the latest to shine a bright light on Louisville and the Cards' additions.
Myron Medcalf and ESPN recently broke down who the single best addition from the Transfer Portal was, and, unsurprisingly, the Cardinals got the nod for their addition of Flory Bidunga.
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There is a lot to love about the Cardinals' six transfer additions, but when looking at Louisville’s portal haul, Bidunga gets a lot of the attention. The 5-star transfer from Kansas is ranked No. 1 overall in the Transfer Portal, and Medcalf gave the Cards a lot of praise for earning his commitment this offseason.
"Bidunga won't score like some of his portal peers will, but he was arguably the most impactful player available. The nation's top defensive player, Bidunga was the stabilizing force for a Kansas team that weathered the turbulence of Darryn Peterson's availability to finish ninth in adjusted defensive efficiency while holding Big 12 opponents to a 45% rate on shots inside the arc.Myron Medcalf
Bidunga's presence automatically turns Louisville into a defensive force in the paint, where the Cardinals were vulnerable last season. They allowed shots around the rim to fall at a 73.3% clip in their second-round NCAA tournament loss to Michigan State. And in their final 15 games of the season, the Cards ranked 267th overall on defense inside the arc."
Bidunga is a massive addition for Louisville, but his defensive ability is what really excites Cardinals fans. The 5-star transfer ranked in the top five in Division I basketball for total blocks (91) and blocks per game (2.6), earning him the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award.
The Cards' biggest weakness this past season was their ability to play physical basketball against elite teams, especially in the paint. Medcalf shines a light on one example from this past season, from their NCAA Tournament loss when Louisville allowed Michigan State to shoot 73.3 percent at the rim, and in the Cardinals' last 15 games, they ranked No. 267 in the nation inside the arc.
That will all change with the addition of Bidunga. The 5-star transfer has an elite defensive presence and dominates the paint on both sides of the ball. The 6-foot-9 center is poised to be Kelsey’s glaring solution to Louisville’s biggest flaw from the past couple of seasons, and because of that, he is not only the biggest single addition from the Transfer Portal, but immediatley makes Louisville a title contender when you look at all the other moves Kelsey did this offseason.
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For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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