Louisville basketball had a wild Friday. Cardinals fans learned the team dismissed former NBA G League player London Johnson “due to a violation of team rules,” meaning the guard will not be part of the team this upcoming season.
Then the major news broke just before that North Carolina transfer Seth Trimble is now ineligible for the upcoming season. Trimble played all four years at UNC, but because of the “five-for-five” rule, he was ruled eligible; however, that was only a temporary ruling, and on Friday, after another ruling, it is being reported that Class of 2022 players who used all four years of eligibility this past spring are now ineligible unless they take action in their own lawsuit/injunction.
So, as of now, Louisville is without Trimble, which would be a crushing blow for this upcoming season if that stands. Jon Rothstein recently updated his power rankings after Trimble was ruled ineligible, and the Cardinals dropped a significant number of spots.
Louisville basketball falls out of top 10 after Seth Trimble eligibility update
Before Louisville had Trimble, the Cardinals were trending as a top-15 team with the potential to go on a deep run in March and April. However, after the Cardinals landed the UNC star, Louisville soared up the rankings, including Rothstein, as they were ranked No. 8 in the nation and trending as a legitimate top-10 team.
Now, following Friday’s ruling, Rothstein dropped Louisville all the way down to No. 15, showing just how massive the news is about Trimble. The North Carolina transfer was a massive pickup for Kelsey, as he is a physical guard who plays gritty defense and comes off his best offensive season, averaging a career-high 14 points per game.
Now, this is far from over, and there still is a chance Trimble can play for Louisville this upcoming season. He would have to take action in his own lawsuit/injunction, win the hearing, and be granted eligibility to play for Louisville.
Louisville has a Final Four-contending roster without Trimble, but Trimble Rothstein's power rankings make it clear that this team is significantly better with the UNC transfer on it. Louisville had +2500 odds to win the 2027 National Title before Trimble committed, and after the Cardinals' odds rose to +2200.
It was a risk for Kelsey and Louisville to get involved, since many reporters and analysts weren’t sure these players would actually play. But landing a player like Trimble was a risk worth taking, and now the hope is that the UNC star can play this upcoming season and be the Cardinals' starting shooting guard in 2026-27.
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