Louisville basketball fans were absolutely gut-wrenched over the weekend when the Rivals Joe Tipton logged his prediction for 5-star point guard Taylen Kinney. Louisville and college basketball fans saw the highly respected reporter predict Kinney to commit to an Adidas school, but the Kansas Jayhawks, and not the Louisville Cardinals.
Kinney is an Adidas athlete, and many saw the race coming down between Louisville, Kansas, and Kentucky, but the Cardinals took a commanding lead after their visit in June. However, Kinney recently visited Bill Self, and that visit reportedly went so well that not only did the Cardinals lose their lead, but they are no longer the frontrunners.
So, with Kinney's commitment date on September 28, if Tipton's prediction is correct and he decides to commit to Kansas over Louisville, then Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals must adjust fast and move on to their next target. And striking out on Kinney would make their next target clear as day.
Related: Louisville basketball receives gut-wrenching update on 5-star Taylen Kinney
Louisville must land Tyran Stokes if expert's prediction is correct
The Cardinals must land Tyran Stokes, and the nation's No. 1 recruit, if Tipton just logged the correct prediction. The Cardinals striking out on Kinney wouldn't just be a massive loss for their PGU campaign or the 2026 recruiting class, but with Kinney being a Kentucky native, it is a stab to the heart with his choosing Kansas over Louisville.
So, if they strike out on Kinney, then it is clear they have to hit a home run with Stokes. The consensus 5-star small forward is a Louisville native and emerges as Kelsey's clear top target. The Cardinals were once the dominant favorite for Stokes as well, but now Kansas and Kentucky have tightened up the race.
If Kinney commits to Kansas, then Louisville cannot strike out on this massive opportunity of the No. 1 recruit coming from their backyard. Whiffing on Kinney and Stokes would be a crushing blow moving forward, and the fanbase would be heartbroken as they have made it clear they want these two Kentucky natives on their team.
Stokes has been dominant throughout his high school career as he has earned multiple gold medals, including this past summer at the FIBA U19 World Cup, where he became the first American to log a triple-double at this event. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward averaged 21.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game last year for Notre Dame High School.
The Louisville native is Kelsey's glaring top target regardless of whether Kinney commits to Louisville or not. However, if Tipton's prediction is correct and Kinney decides to commit to the Kansas Jayhawks over Louisville, then it is clear that the Cardinals cannot afford to miss out on their hometown superstar and must beat out Kentucky and, most definitely, Kansas.
Related: Louisville must land this 5-star recruit or Cardinals will face major consequences
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.