Louisville basketball is 12-4 and recently snapped a two-game losing streak after the Cardinals overcame the injury bug and defeated Boston College. Louisville will now turn to its massive game tomorrow evening against the No. 23 Virginia Cavaliers.
With this being a marquee game, as it is not only a top 25 showdown, but Isaac McKneely is playing his former team, the Cardinals, and they are having a key recruit in attendance. Louisville has already been in the running for a 2026 transfer, as Princeton transfer Caden Pierce is strongly considering the Louisville Cardinals.
Well, after Pierce took a couple of visits to other programs, the Cardinals fans got the news they were waiting for from the elite transfer as Joe Tipton just announced he will visit Louisville on Tuesday, January 13.
Princeton transfer Caden Pierce will take an official visit to Louisville on Tuesday, he told @On3sports.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) January 12, 2026
The 6-7 forward and 2023-24 Ivy League Player of the Year has previously visited Duke, Purdue, UConn, and Gonzaga. https://t.co/WX9mFZqch2 pic.twitter.com/gK8831lTKk
Louisville Basketball hosting elite transfer target
The recruiting battle for Pierce is heating up as the Cardinals face some college basketball giants, including Purdue, UConn, Gonzaga, and Duke, all of which have already earned an official visit. Louisville is expected to be heavily involved in the portal for the second straight season, as the Cardinals didn’t have the luck they hoped for with the 2026 recruiting class.
So, if Kelsey can get ahead of everyone already and land a big-time transfer during the season, it would put Louisville in a prime position for another big-time Transfer Portal offseason. Last year, Louisville saw a significant increase in NIL money and landed Isaac McKneely, Ryan Conwell, and Adrian Wooley. Now, Louisville is looking to try and get that first commitment out of the way as the first is usually the hardest.
Pierce had a massive sophomore season, averaging 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 54.6 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from beyond the arc. He scored in double figures in 17 games, including 7 games with a double-double. His biggest performance was against Rutgers, where he scored a season-high 21 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 59 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.