Louisville basketball quickly grabbed everyone's attention this offseason as Pat Kelsey and the Louisville Cardinals completely rebuilt one of the best teams in college basketball. The Cardinals lost nine of their top 10 players from this past season, including future NBA Draft picks, Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell.
Louisville fans will love Jeff Goodman’s take on Cardinals vs. Kentucky debate
So, Kelsey had a lot of work to do this offseason, and he completely dominated. Louisville added nine players this offseason, six from the Transfer Portal and three from the 2026 recruiting class, and the Cards continue to get a lot of praise for their offseason additions.
The latest praise is from FanDuel, as the Vegas oddsmakers released their 2027 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Winner odds, and Louisville fans quickly noticed the Cardinals got the respect they deserve.
FanDuel shows major respect to Louisville basketball's 2027 title hopes
FanDuel is one of the most well-known oddsmakers, and on Saturday, Louisville basketball fans noticed the Cardinals were given one of the best odds to win the 2027 National Title. As of June 20, FanDuel gives Louisville +2200 odds, which certainly puts them in the National Title contender tier.
The Cardinals+2200 odd ranks the seventh best in college basketball as of Saturday, putting Louisville only behind Florida, Duke, Michigan, UConn, Illinois, and Houston. Louisville's roster is loaded with talent and athleticism, and the Cardinals, with the eye-popping seventh-best odds to win the National Title, prove Louisville isn't just a projected top-15 team in the nation but a National Title contender.
With the Cardinals at +2200, they have the second-highest odds in the ACC, behind only Duke at +700. Behind the Cardinals is Virginia, with the 16th-highest odds at +3500, and behind the Cavaliers is Miami, with the 22nd-highest odds at +4000.
Florida has the highest odds in college basketball at the moment, at +600, and Michigan rounds out the top three, right behind Duke at +750. Another team worth mentioning is Kentucky, as many fans and reporters are comparing the two in-state rivals, and FanDuel sent a loud message on who they believe is better.
Kentucky has the 23rd-highest odds at +4500, giving the Cardinals fans a lot of bragging rights in June. The Cardinals continue to be ranked higher than Kentucky in many way-too-early rankings, including ESPN's Joe Lunardi, who projects Louisville as a No. 2 seed and Kentucky as a No. 5 seed.
Louisville added the No. 1 overall transfer, Flory Bidunga, and the No. 1 center in the 2026 recruiting class, 5-star center Obinna Ekezie Jr. At point guard, they will have former 5-star Jackson Shelstad, and former 5-star Adrian Wooley returned to the Cardinals and will likely be the starting shooting guard.
Other notable additions include former 5-star Karter Knox and 4-star transfers De'Shayne Montgomery and Alvaro Folgueiras. Louisville has the depth and size this year to make a National Title push, and FanDuel just gave the Cardinals the respect they deserve entering the 2026-27 season.
Also read: Joe Lunardi's latest bracketology sent a loud message in the Louisville-Kentucky debate
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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