Pat Kelsey and Louisville basketball battling Kentucky for No. 1 PG in Transfer Portal

Louisville basketball is not shying away from who they are reaching out to, as the Cardinals are in contact with many elite transfers, including the BYU transfer Robert Wright III. Louisville is in need of that elite point guard as the Cards lost 5-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. to the NBA Draft and lost key backcourt players Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely because of eligibility.

Players in the Transfer portal that the Louisville Cardinals have reached out to

So, with the Cardinals in dire need of an elite point guard, Pat Kelsey hasn’t shied away from reaching out to some of the best guards in the portal. Wright is not only the best point guard in the portal, but is a top-five player in the portal, and when it comes to who Louisville is battling in Wright’s early recruiting process, it is their in-state rival, the Kentucky Wildcats.

Louisville basketball reportedly an early team to watch for Robert Wright III

The Cards and the Cats are both expecting to rebuild this offseason, as Louisville has lost three players to the portal and eight of its top 10 players from last season, and Kentucky has already seen seven players enter the portal. So, with both Kentucky schools trying to rebuild and reach their fans' standards and expectations, Mark Pope and Kelsey quickly reached out to the BYU transfer.

“Schools that we are anticipating that will be involved with this recruitment start with Louisville,” 247 Sports Travis Branham reported Thursday. “Louisville is one of the most aggressive teams in the Transfer Portal market right now. They have a complete rebuild on their hands, especially following Mikel Brown’s announcement that he will be entering the NBA Draft.”

Branham then goes on to report that Louisville’s rivals are someone they expect to be part of Wright’s recruitment. Kentucky also lost its point guards as Denzel Aberdeen graduated and Jaland Lowe entered the Transfer Portal.

So, now with both programs in dire need of that star point guard, it appears the two in-state rivals are reaching out and battling for the No. 1 point guard in the Transfer Portal. Wright ranks No. 4 overall in the Transfer Portal and is the top-ranked point guard.

Branham reports Wright could end up being one of the highest-paid players in college basketball, as elite point guards tend to earn the biggest deals. Last season, the 5-star transfer averaged 18.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc.

The BYU transfer made 57 3’s last season and scored 20 points or more 13 times and 30 points or more twice, including a dominant game against Colorado, where he scored 39 points on 75 percent shooting from the floor and 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range.

Louisville recently received a Crystal Ball prediction that it will land the No. 5 point guard in the portal, Jackson Shelstad, who will visit on Friday afternoon. So, if Louisville does land Shelstad, as many expect, it seems Louisville would likely pivot from spending top money on Wright; however, Louisville fans know how much Kelsey likes his guards.

247Sports is the media outlet that logged the Crystal Ball prediction for the Cardinals, so they know Louisville is the favorite to land the Oregon transfer, and they still reported Louisville as someone to watch for Wright. So, Louisville fans should certainly keep an eye on this recruiting battle with Kentucky, as Wight is an elite playmaker who will make an immediate impact for whatever team he plays for.

Related: Louisville's top five Transfer Portal targets after Providence landed Miles Byrd

For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.