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What realistic expectations are for the Louisville basketball team

The Louisville basketball program hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since the 2018-19 season. What are realistic expectations for this year's team?

By Ryan Stano

Chucky Hepburn drives up court during practice before the Cards head to the Bahamas. July 26, 2024
Chucky Hepburn drives up court during practice before the Cards head to the Bahamas. July 26, 2024 / Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Louisville basketball program has been a disaster for the last three seasons. The end of the Chris Mack era was painful and the short Kenny Payne era was even worse. We're in the Pat Kelsey era now and he has a heck of a job ahead of him to turn things around.

Louisville has won only 12 games combined in the last two seasons. That's unconscionable considering this program won a national championship just 11 years ago. But there is some reason for optimism as we get closer to the 2024-25 season.

The Cardinals did just complete a two-game sweep in the Bahamas of an all-star Bahamas team and a top amateur team from Canada. While neither of those teams is nearly the same level of teams they'll face in college basketball this season, it's still something nice to see.

What are the realistic expectations for the Louisville basketball team?

So what are the realistic expectations for this Louisville Cardinals basketball team? Based on their talent, they should win more than 12 games just this year. They were able to land one of the best players in the transfer portal this offseason in guard Chucky Hepburn.

After playing at Wisconsin for three seasons, Hepburn decided to leave and head into the transfer portal. He landed at Lousiville and immediately will bolster the three-point shooting on the roster. He shot 40% from deep two seasons ago. He's probably the best overall player on this roster.

One of the biggest things going against this team is the fact that it's an entirely new roster. There's not a single holdover from a year ago, which is pretty wild. Building chemistry is going to be key for the Cardinals. How fast are they going to be able to do that over the summer?

Realistic expectations would still be winning more than 12 games. Getting close to .500 might be a stretch though. If they are able to get close to that mark, that would be a great improvement that this program can build on as they try to rebuild. It would help attract recruits as well.

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This program deserves better than what Kenny Payne gave them. Hopefully, Kelsey can deliver that to the fans.

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