Updated starting five projection for Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season

Louisville basketball is one of the hottest teams in the nation this offseason as Pat Kelsey struck gold in the Transfer Portal. The Cardinals have one of the best backcourts in the country with their three additions from the portal, and have two elite players coming in from the 2025 recruiting class.

All offseason, the Cardinals fans and media have been debating who will start that first game of the 2025 season. The Cardinals still don't know who that first game will be, but no matter who they play, this Kelsey squad will be ready.

So, with the Cardinal three transfers coming in, two highly recruited freshmen, and elite veterans returning, the age-old question emerges of who will start? As September is just around the corner, here is our starting five for the Louisville Cardinals.

Updated starting five projection for Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season

PG - Mikel Brown Jr.

The only position that is a lock currently is the point guard position, as 5-star recruit and future 2026 NBA lottery pick Mikel Brown Jr. will lead the Cardinals in 2025. The 5-star guard has proven time and time again this offseason why he is so highly recruited.

After securing a gold medal for Team USA and dominating the whole offseason, Brown is trending as one of the nation's best players in college basketball. He is projected as high as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and after growing to 6-foot-5, the guard has the skills to take over this upcoming season completely.

SG - Isaac McKneely

All offseason, we have preached that we believe 5-star transfer Adrian Wooley will get the nod to start, but other platforms and experts have now convinced us that the Virginia transfer Isaac McKneely will start. The sharpshooter is the perfect player to play next to Brown and is the exact type of player who will make the Cardinals unstoppable.

After splashing a career-high 101 3-pointers last season and shooting 42.1 percent from beyond the arc, Brown and McKneely are poised to break out in 2025-26. The Cardinals' guards will feed off of one another as they will space the floor and make each other better.

SF - Ryan Conwell

The only other possible lock besides Brown will be Ryan Conwell playing up at small forward. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound guard is coming off a monster year with Xavier and will look to carry that All-Big East year to Louisville and guide the Cardinals to ACC glory. Conwell is an athletic guard who can do it all. He drives to the basket and finishes through contact. He can create shots for himself or others. He can shoot at a high volume and high rate from anywhere on the court.

Last season, he splashed 99 3-pointers for Xavier; the year before that, he found the bottom of the net on 107 3-pointers. Conwell is going to be a star for the Cardinals, and he will play multiple positions for Kelsey. The Xavier transfer will make Louisville have one of the best backcourts in the nation and one of the best 3-point shooting rosters in college basketball.

PF - J'Vonne Hadley

Another challenging position to pick who will start, but for that first game in November, it most likely will be J'Vonne Hadley. With Kasean Pryor coming off a season-ending ACL injury, Hadley is the safe option for game one to let Pryor ease into the season. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound guard has experience at the forward position as he stepped up for Kelsey last season and did a phenomenal job.

Hadley is the Cardinals' biggest returning player as he led Louisville in rebounds per game last season, and had many dominant performances on the offensive side. Hadley should take a big leap this upcoming season as many new faces will lead the Cardinals' roster. Hadley emerges as a key leader for the 2025 Cardinals.

C - Sananda Fru

The center position is one of the toughest to predict as the Cardinals have elite 7-foot 250-pound BYU transfer Aly Khalifa making his debut, but also have 4-star prospect Sananda Fru coming over from Germany. Like the shooting guard position, we are going to flip our prediction. We are now predicting Fru to start over Kahlifa because of his athleticism and ability to protect the rim.

Fru can be part of an elite two-man game with any of the guards and emerge as one of the best lob threats in the nation. On the other end, the 6-foot-11, 245-pound forward averaged 1.4 blocks per game and earned BBL's Best German Young Player award. Khalifa's ability to pass will make him an elite center off the bench, but with Fru's ability to dominate both ends of the floor, we predict Fru to get the nod in game one.

For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason, stay tuned.