The Louisville Cardinals are officially headed into the postseason in 2026 as a six-seed in the NCAA Tournament, as they take on the 11-seeded USF Bulls. Louisville basketball has had an up-and-down season in Pat Kelsey's second year as the head coach of the Cardinals, but with it win-and-go-home from this point on, they will be looking to make a deep run through the tourney this postseason.
3 things that could derail Louisville basketball in the NCAA Tournament
Louisville has had key players like Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell, and J'Vonne Hadley play very well throughout the season, with players like Isaac McKneely, Sananda Fru, and Adrian Wooley also playing key roles. However, the Cardinals have struggled to find a true x-factor off the bench besides Wooley, who has provided a huge spark in the absence of Brown Jr. throughout the season.
Khani Rooths looked like the spark they needed in January, but he has struggled to play meaningful minutes for Louisville over the past few weeks, and his minutes have decreased due to his below-average play. However, if the Cardinals want to take care of USF and upset Michigan State in the second-round, Rooths has to step up.
Khani Rooths could be Louisville’s X-factor in NCAA Tournament run
Rooths had a multiple-game stretch scoring in the double digits and even getting a few double-doubles in that stretch as well. Louisville has been desperately needing a player with a more physical presence down low to get boards and play defense, and it looked like Rooths would be That Player in the latter part of the season, but sadly, that has not been the case for Rooths over the past month.
Rooths has not played more than ten minutes in a game for Louisville since March 3rd against Syracuse, and coach Kelsey has desperately needed him to get back to form. That looked to be the case against Miami in their recent outing against Miami in the ACC tournament, where Rooths notched 11 points on 66% shooting from the floor.
One of Louisville's biggest weaknesses this season has been its forwards down low and its inability to guard or be bruisers in the post. Sananda Fru and Aly Khalifa have not had the edge they were looking for before the season started, and Rooths has to step up if Louisville is to make a run in March. If Rooths were to get back to his early January form, it could be the factor that allows Louisville to win big games in the coming weeks. If Rooths can be a presence in the paint for Louisville, it could seriously help them against teams in their region like Michigan State, UCLA, UConn, and even USF, who can play some very physical basketball at times.
Rooths can grab rebounds and be a defensive presence down low; it is just a matter of putting it all back together for him. Rooths may not even have to put up the stats he was having in January, but making teams work harder in the paint can change the outcome of these potential games for Louisville.
With it now win-or-go-home, Rooths will look to carry momentum from the Miami game into the NCAA Tournament and be Kelsey's glaring X-factor off the bench.
Related: These Louisville bench players could end up being March Madness heroes for Pat Kelsey
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