Louisville basketball secured a massive commitment yesterday afternoon as the Cardinals landed one of their top prospects in the transfer portal, Isaac McKneely. The Virginia transfer is a unanimous 4-star prospect, a consensus top-10 player in the portal, and ranked as high as the No. 9 overall player.
McKneely will join a lethal backcourt as the Cardinals will have two 5-star guards in Mikel Brown Jr. and Adrian Wooley and two 4-star guards in Ryan Conwell and McKneely. Wooley, Conwell, and McKneely were all ranked in the top 10 for On3 and 247Sports, with Wooley ranked as high as the No. 3 overall player in the portal.
The Cardinals' No. 1 priority this offseason was to address their shooting concerns. After exceeding all expectations, they must address priority No. 2, their defense.
Louisville basketball needs to address their perimeter defense
The Cardinals' commitment from McKneely is monumental, but Kelsey still has a huge hole on its roster, even after landing the Virginia transfer. Louisville had an elite defender last season in Chucky Hepburn, but as of now, entering the 2025-26 season with the Cardinals' current roster, Kelsey doesn't have that elite point-of-attack defender he needs.
The guards they have picked up have all shown glimpses of a solid defensive mindset and skills, but none of them are pure lockdown defenders. No one is questioning whether the Cardinals improved this offseason, as adding Wooley, Conwell, and McKneely with Brown created the best backcourt in college basketball. However, losing Hepburn's defense will hurt them and be hard to replace.
The Cardinals' lack of a lockdown defender hasn't been a focus point this offseason, and the NCAA Tournament showed that they need an elite perimeter defender. Creighton exposed the Cardinals in the NCAA Tournament, as Louisville was lost guarding the pick-and-roll and had no answers.
Many fans are asking for a stretch four or a 6-foot-7, 220-pound power forward, and while that would also help, it is worth noting that with the few spots the Cardinals have left, Louisville should consider a lockdown defensive player from the portal.
A great option that Louisville has already reached out to is Amarri Monroe. The Quinnipiac transfer is exactly what the fans are asking for, as he is 6-foot-7, 220 pounds with elite defensive skills, as he secured over 70 steals last season. He is a player who would be perfect for this Cardinals offense as he won't demand for the ball much, but on the defensive side, he would be their elite defender that they need
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It will be hard for Louisville to replace the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. However, adding a player with elite defensive skills with the Cardinals' elite playmakers and 3-point shooters is becoming crucial if Louisville wants to make a deep March run next year.
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason, stay tuned.