Louisville basketball fell to Michigan State Saturday afternoon, ending the Cardinals' 2025-26 season. Pat Kelsey continues to make strides in his first two seasons, ending the Cards' drought without an NCAA Tournament win, but now he will try to end their Sweet Sixteen and Final Four drought.
3 players Pat Kelsey and Louisville basketball must bring back next season
Louisville fans had high expectations entering the 2025-26 season, as they had the sixth-highest odds to win the National Title. A large reason was the Transfer Portal class they had last offseason. Kelsey went out and grabbed three transfers that ranked inside the top 25 of the portal, and Kelsey will try to do something similar this season.
He must hit the portal hard this offseason, as he will lose four starters and multiple bench pieces, and when he recruits the portal, it is clear he has to attack the frontcourt.
One roster flaw Louisville has to address this offseason
Louisville added key players last offseason via the portal, including leading scorer Ryan Conwell, 3-point specialist Ryan McKneely, and former 5-star transfer Adrian Wooley. However, with the Cardinals landing zero 2026 commitments and the season ending earlier than many hoped, it is clear Kelsey has to attack the frontcourt.
Louisville tried the small-ball lineup route this season, and it simply didn’t live up to the expectations. All three guards shot way below their career averages, and the Cardinals continued to be the less physical team against ranked opponents, going 1-8 against ranked teams and 0-6 against KenPom's top 20 teams.
Louisville will need to replace Conwell, McKneely, and Mikel Brown Jr., but when Kelsey is attacking the portal, he has to go get some physical forwards who can hold their ground in the paint. While a lot of fans are hoping Khani Rooths and Sananda Fru take that next step, Kelsey needs to go all-in and make sure his biggest splash is someone for this frontcourt.
Louisville will have a lot to replace this offseason, and it won’t be easy with them landing zero 2026 commitments, but Kelsey will have to try to work some magic. Louisville’s frontcourt was a big question mark heading into 2025, and it will be an even bigger question mark heading into this offseason.
Kelsey is a player-coach, and he loves his small-ball lineups because they play fast and shoot from beyond the arc. But this season, and the Cardinals' short run last season, should show Kelsey that he needs to add some power forwards and centers this Transfer Portal who can have a bigger impact against these physically elite teams.
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