Louisville's 5-star freshman is already making a strong case to start for Pat Kelsey

Wow! Well, that was fun to watch. Louisville basketball marches into Allen Fieldhouse and defeats Kansas 89-83 in the Cardinals' first exhibition game. Cardinals fans got to see this brand-new-looking Pat Kelsey lineup in action for the first time, and it didn't disappoint.

Flory Bidunga has a golden opportunity to send a major statement to college basketball

Over the offseason, Kelsey added 11 new players, including eight from the Transfer Portal and three from the 2026 recruiting class. Four-star transfer from Oregon, Jackson Shelstad, led Louisville in scoring with 23 points, but the Cardinal everyone is talking about Thursday morning is 5-star freshman Obinna Ekezie Jr.

Obinna Ekezie Jr. has an impressive debut for Louisville

Ekezie was a massive pickup for Kelesy this offseason, as the 5-star committed to Louisville as the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2027 recruiting class, but reclassified to the 2026 class, which is how he is playing for UofL this season. After he reclassified, he was the No. 14 overall recruit in the nation and the No. 1 center in the class.

Entering the year, Cardinals fans dreamed of Ekezie starting next to 5-star transfer Flory Bidunga, and in yesterday’s win, he made a strong case for why he should start. Louisville needs a stretch four to play alongside Bidunga, as the Kansas transfer is an athletic big, a major lob threat, and a huge threat for offensive rebounds. So, he's best when attacking the rim or near it for huge dunks or to secure rebounds.

So, what works perfectly next to Bidunga is a power forward who can space the floor for the offense and knock down 3s, and Bidunga did just that last night.

The 5-star freshman finished the game with four 3-pointers on six attempts. He was lights out from beyond the arc, and what makes it even more impressive is that the freshman is 7-foot-2 and 240 pounds. He finished the game with 16 points in just 19 minutes, plus 8 rebounds and a dominant 5 blocks.

Ekezie was all over last night, and it wasn’t just beyond the arc. He was a pest on defense with five blocks, proving it would be a nightmare frontcourt for opposing teams if he played next to Bidunga. The Cardinals have missed a dominant paint presence on both ends of the floor, and Ekezie brings that.

He averaged 18 points and nearly 2 blocks per game in his high school season, and while that was just an exhibition game, the 5-star freshman got the nation’s attention with his ability to shoot from beyond the arc and dominate the paint on defense.

Louisville fans have been asking for Ekezie to start alongside Bidunga all offseason, and his near-perfect game was a huge step in the right direction.

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