Louisville basketball concluded its final exhibition game last night when the Cardinals defeated Bucknell 99-76. The Cards fans saw a dominant performance from Mikel Brown Jr., who was nearly unstoppable from beyond the arc, making 8 3-pointers.
The fans have made it clear that the frontcourt has been underwhelming through the team's first two preseason games, and are hoping it can turn around quickly. One of the biggest questions entering the regular season is the Cardinals' power forward, Kasean Pryor, and his health.
Louisville fans were hopeful Pryor might be available on Nov. 3 for the Cardinals' season opener, but they got crushing news this Wednesday morning as they learned their star forward will be out against South Carolina State, per Jeff Goodman.
Louisville's Kasean Pryor to miss the season-opener, Pat Kelsey told @TheFieldOf68.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) October 29, 2025
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Louisville basketball gets crushing injury update
The Cardinals fans were hopeful that Pryor would be available the season-opener after Kelsey stated he was medically cleared after the Kansas showdown. However, Goodman reported that Pryor will not play in the Cardinals' season debut.
"He is on track with rehab. He was cleared medically relatively recently, but there are a lot of steps," Kelsey stated. "When the time is right, we're going to put him back out there."
The 6-foot-10, 230-pounder is going to have a massive role for this Cardinals team as he can space the floor and shoot from beyond the arc, while also being a defensive presence. Pryor tore his ACL last year against Oklahoma and missed the remainder of the season. The stretch forward averaged 12.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game last season in his seven games.
With Louisville missing some interior defense in its two exhibition games, Pryor's availability will be crucial for its showdown with Kentucky on Nov. 11. It would be nice to get him back on Nov. 6 against Jackson State to get some rust off, but Kelsey has made it clear they don't want to rush him, and he could be out a bit longer than the fans were hoping.
There is still no timetable for Pryor's availability, but from what fans saw during pregame in both preseason games, they are hopeful he will return sooner rather than later.
The regular season for the Cardinals will start Nov. 3 at the KFC Yum! Center, when they take on South Carolina State. For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.