Louisville basketball is coming off one of its most dominant wins of the 2025-26 season so far after the Cards defeated Eastern Michigan 87-46. The Cardinals saw Isaac McKneely step up and lead the way with his game-high 17 points as he splashed five 3-pointers while shooting 55 percent from beyond the arc and 60 percent from the field.
McKneely is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation, as the Virginia transfer has made 252 3-pointers in his career and already has 19 3-pointers this season. He is shooting 41.3 percent from beyond the arc through six games this season and continues to prove why he is one of the best shooters in the country.
However, despite McKneely being lights out from beyond the arc Monday evening, one of the biggest stories was actually Louisville's backup center, Aly Khalifa, and his production from downtown. When McKneely was asked about Khalifa, he made it clear that Khalifa has the green light and that he will encourage Khalifa to shoot more.
Aly Khalifa earns the ultimate green light from Isaac McKneely and Pat Kelsey
Khalifa is a rare center who can make jaw-dropping passes while also spacing out the floor and splash 3-pointers. The Cards fans have seen his ability to pass in Louisville's six games, as he averages 3.0 assists per game, but they didn't see his 3-point shooting abilities before Monday's game.
Well, that changed Monday evening as Khalifa knocked down three shots from downtown on four tries and ended the game with 11 points. When McKneely was asked about Khalifa's ability to shoot after the game, the Cardinals' sharpshooter said he is encouraging him to shoot more to improve the team's spacing.
"He is a very capable shooter," McKneely stated on Khalifa's ability to shoot from downtown. "I knew it was coming at some point. He just needs to shoot it with confidence, because I know he can knock it down, especially when we've got shooting all around. People have to guard us on the 3-point line, and when he is making shots like that, it makes us even tougher to guard. So, I am going to encourage him to keep shooting them."
Khalifa is coming off missing an entire season and stated he is still getting more comfortable being out there on the floor. The 7-foot, 250-pound center has the full capability to shoot it from downtown, as he has shown throughout his career. In his season with BYU, he averaged 1.0 made 3-pointer per game on 31.5 percent shooting from downtown, and in his sophomore season with Charlotte, he averaged 1.4 made 3-pointers on 38.1 percent.
He has made a total of 100 3-pointers in his career after Monday's game, including a career-high 48 3-pointers in that sophomore season. If Louisville can get a production similar to that, it would space the floor out even more and force the opposing team's center to play up on Khalifa, giving this backcourt even more space to work with.
Khalifa is a key player for Pat Kelsey off the bench, and, like McKneely, Kelsey gave Khalifa the green light, saying, "If you are open, shoot it." Kelsey stated Khalifa is a "really good shooter" and "that's one of the things that makes him really difficult to guard."
What makes Khalifa so hard to guard is that if the center elects to drop, and Khalifa is given plenty of space to read the floor, he has the capability to shoot the 3-pointer like he did Monday evening. If the defense is playing up on Khalifa, he can show off his elite passing skills and make an impressive pass through the lanes.
Louisville's bench contributed 38 points Monday evening and continues to prove why the Cards' depth is a glaring strength. Khalifa was one of the few players who gave the Cards a spark off the bench, and moving forward, McKneely and Kelsey made it clear they are excited to see the Cards' center continue to grow more confident shooting the 3-ball.