The Louisville Cardinals are having a tremendous offseason. They have landed three players in 247Sports' top 10 transfer portal players, and have an elite 2025 recruiting class. The Cardinals' three newcomers from the transfer portal are all guards, and Pat Kelsey secured a commitment from Mikel Brown Jr., the unanimous 5-star point guard in the class of 2025.
The Cardinals' backcourt is loaded and predicted to be the best in the nation next season. Louisville's frontcourt also has many elite playmakers returning and will see a newcomer in Sananda Fru. The Cardinals' depth is starting to fill out, but the glaring question emerging is who will start for Kelsey next season.
Way-too-early starting five projection for the Louisville Cardinals 2025-26 season
Louisville currently has 11 returning players who could earn valuable minutes. Kelsey will have to make a tough decision about who will earn the starting rotation and who will come off the bench. We will predict the Louisville basketball team's starting five for the 2025-26 season. In this prediction, we will predict if players will transfer in, transfer out, or if the Cardinals will land the No. 4 overall prospect in the class of 2025, Nate Ament.
So, here is our prediction of who will start for the Louisville Cardinals in the 2025-26 season.
Point Guard: Mikel Brown Jr
Louisville basketball landed a historic commitment earlier this year in January. The Cardinals program took a massive step forward as Mike Brown Jr. committed to the Louisville Cardinals and head coach Pat Kelsey. Brown will be the Cardinals starting point guard next season, as he is already projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The unanimous 5-star commit was ranked as the No. 1 point guard in the class of 2025 due to his elite playmaking skills and ability to knock down shots at a high split. In his senior campaign at DME, the explosive point guard averaged 29.2 points while shooting 62 percent from the floor. Brown is a lethal 3-point shooter as he won the McDonald's All-American 3-point contest with his record-breaking 28-point round.
Brown is 6-foot-3 and has had tremendous experience in his career already, having represented Team USA FIBA U18 AmeriCup. The future starting point guard for the Cardinals earned his first gold medal after starting every game for the Stars and Stripes and averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.
This is a no-brainer for fans, but the starting point guard for the Louisville Cardinals in the 2025-26 season will be Mikel Brown Jr.
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