Louisville basketball made some big-time additions this offseason as Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals completely rebuilt this roster. The Cardinals added nine players this offseason, including six players from the Transfer Portal and three from the 2026 recruiting class.
Louisville's lineup even without Milan Momcilovic should still have fans dreaming big
The Cardinals are trending as one of the nation's top teams in college basketball, with Fox Sports ranking them as high as No. 5 in the nation and Joe Lunardi projecting them to be a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance. Kelsey's additions were eye-opening, to say the least, and a big reason is his first two commitments, Jackson Shelstad and Flory Bidunga.
Earlier this week, Louisville fans got to listen to their first press conference since joining the Cardinals. When Shelstad was asked about Louisville's defensive mindset, he didn't sugarcoat it, saying the obvious truth about what Bidunga is going to bring to the table this upcoming season.
Louisville basketball solved a major flaw this offseason
It is no secret that last year, the Cardinals' biggest flaws were their frontcourt and physicality. Louisville was guard-heavy and lacked size and physicality in the paint, and when they faced those elite teams, the Cardinals consistently exposed their weaknesses in the interior.
However, that shouldn't be the case this upcoming season. Louisville added 5-star center, and the No. 1 overall transfer in Flory Bidunga, and Shelstad made it clear in his press conference that the Cardinals have the best shot blocker in the nation.
"We have the best rim protector in the country," stated Shelstad. "We have this guy (Bidunga) who is going to clean stuff up."
The Cardinals' newest big man appreciated the high praise from Shelstad, looking over and smiling as he said, "I like that." But, Shelstad isn't wrong.
Bidunga is coming off an All-Big 12 First-Team year with Kansas and won the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award with the Jayhawks. The 5-star transfer averaged 2.6 blocks per game and earned 91 total blocks in his sophomore season.
The Cardinals have needed someone with his paint presence, and Shelstad is saying the quiet part out loud by making everyone know Bidunga is the best rim protector in the nation. The 6-foot-10 center had 19 games with three blocks or more this past season, including nine games with four blocks or more, three games with five blocks or more, and one game with a dominant seven blocks against Utah.
Louisville's frontcourt is going to be significantly better this upcoming season, and Bidunga is going to be the star of the show. The Cardinals landed the best transfer in the portal and the perfect player to fix their biggest weakness from this past season, and Shelstad just made that clear with his strong message.
Also read: Fox Sports analyst fires back at Flory Bidunga critics with blunt Louisville message
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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