Louisville basketball has made some big-time moves this offseason, which has the Cardinals ranked in many way-too-early rankings. The Cards were recently ranked No. 14 in On3 'Sports' way-too-early rankings, and just hours ago, ESPN released its updated summer college basketball rankings.
3 Louisville Cardinals most likely to have a breakout season in Pat Kelsey’s third year
Louisville is emerging as a team many believe can make a Final Four push, as Pat Kelsey has completely rebuilt the team and added depth in both the frontcourt and backcourt. Louisville’s portal class ranks No. 1 in the nation, and while the Cards fans are excited for this upcoming season, ESPN’s way-too-early rankings just showed what the gap is between the Cardinals and Duke.
Louisville basketball learns where it stands behind Duke in updated ESPN rankings
Louisville appears to be a unanimous top-15 team in these way-too-early rankings, as ESPN has the Cardinals ranked No. 13. Louisville jumped up two spots since ESPN’s last rankings, and the Cardinals are looking to make an even bigger jump if they can land Milan Momcilovic.
"Louisville has made some massive splashes this offseason. The Cardinals landed two of the best transfers in the portal just days after the season ended in Flory Bidunga (Kansas) and Jackson Shelstad (Oregon), then added Karter Knox (Arkansas), Alvaro Folgueiras (Iowa) and De'Shayne Montgomery (Dayton). They also signed five-star center Obinna Ekezie, who reclassified from the 2027 class. How Pat Kelsey pieces it all together -- Adrian Wooley is returning and the Cardinals are still pursuing Milan Momcilovic -- will be interesting to watch. But there's plenty of talent on the roster."Jeff Borzello
However, while the Cards are a unanimous top-15 team, the Duke Blue Devils appear to be a unanimous top-five team. Duke dominated the 2026 recruiting class, landing four 5-stars and five top 100 recruits. They have the No. 1 2026 recruiting class, and after landing John Blackwell over Louisville, the Cardinals are trending as the ACC frontrunner for next season.
ESPN ranked them No. 2 in the nation in their way-too-early rankings, 11 spots above the Cardinals. Now, Louisville has veteran experience, mixed with elite freshmen in Obinna Ekezie Jr. and Boyuan Zhang, but the Blue Devils look like they will be a powerhouse in the ACC for the third straight season.
If the Cardinals land Momcilovic, this Louisville team will likely emerge as a top-eight team in these rankings and have a real chance to dethrone Duke. But, for now, Duke appears to be the heavy favorite in the ACC, with Virginia and Louisville trailing the Blue Devils.
Also read: New Milan Momcilovic rumor has Louisville basketball fans holding their breath
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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