The 2024- 2025 Louisville basketball season is entering its final stretch, and the Cardinals are looking more prominent than ever as they prepare for their last eight games of the regular season.
Louisville basketball has earned a historic recognition this season and it is paving the way for a successful ACC Tournament and March Madness run. Cardinals offense is well balanced, as all five starters scored for Louisville last game, and six of the nine players who saw action connected on a deep ball.
Louisville Cardinals will need to continue shooting at a high rate if they want to make an ACC Tournament once they face more stout opponents. However, the Cardinals are halfway through ACC play, currently sit pretty in second place, and look to take home hardware at the end of the season.
Set the stage for Louisville basketball March Madness breakthrough
Louisville basketball program is on the brink of something special and Pat Kelsey is getting the credit he deserves. The Cardinals head coach nod is getting national media attention for not only ACC Coach of the Year, but the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year.
Kelsey joins a legendary group of Louisville Cardinals coaches that have been nominated as a finalist including, Rick Pitino, Chris Mack, and Denny Crum. Pat Kelsey. Kelsey has turned this entire program around, where the Cardinals were 8-24 last season, 4-28 in 2023 and a combine record of 25-71 in the last three seasons.
Kelsey was ranked No. 4 by 247Sports and The Field of 68 to win Coach of the Year in their midseason award selection.
"Pat Kelsey has resurrected the program from a laughingstock to perhaps Duke's top challenger for the ACC crown." Isaac Trotter of 247Sports stated.
Kelsey led this 17-6 Cardinals team to be ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 2020. This is the best Louisville basketball team in a long time and the results Cardinals fans were looking for. Louisville has an All-American caliber player under Pat Kelsey in Chucky Hepburn.
Pat Kelsey brought in almost a completely new roster this season, and utilized the transfer portal better than nearly every other college.
But Kelsey isn’t alone in receiving accolades as the Cardinals star guard, Chucky Hepburn is a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Award, National Player of the Year.
Chucky Hepburn award recognition
Chucky Hepburn is one of 50 players selected in the 2024-2025 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. This award is selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and the award won't be announced until the Final Four April 5.
This recognition is much deserving, as Hepburn leads the Cardinals in scoring with 15.1 points per game and averages 6.4 assists per game. He shoots 42% from the field on 84% from the charity stripe.
Hepburn is top 15 in the country in total assists, assist per game, and total steals and steals per game, as he averages 2.4 steals per game. Hepburn is a clear frontrunner to win Defensive player of the year in the ACC and will most likely be on the first-team All ACC.
Kelsey and Hepburn looks for Louisville basketball history
Pat Kelsey is positioning this Cardinals team for a historic postseason run and a chance at their first National Championship since 2013. Kelsey has built a culture at Louisville that now is transitioning to the court and giving Cardinals fans the results they have wanted for 12 years.