Louisville basketball had a roller coaster of a Tuesday after the Cardinals officially learned John Blackwell committed to Duke over Louisville, but on the positive side, Alvaro Folgueiras made it official and committed to the Cardinals. Folgueiras is a big-time get for the Cardinals to help space out the floor for Pat Kelsey, as he has made 101 3’s in his three seasons so far.
2 Dream, 2 reach, 2 realistic targets for Louisville after John Blackwell's update
The Cardinals' roster is beginning to look like a Final Four contender for the second straight season after Folgueiras' commitment. Louisville has now earned four commitments this offseason from the Transfer Portal, and Kelsey isn’t slowing down.
But, before we look at who could follow Folgueiras to Louisville, let’s break down Louisville’s potential starting lineup. So, here is a way-too-early starting five projection for the Louisville Cardinals 2026-27 season.
Point Guard: Jackson Shelstad
Louisville’s starting point guard is going to be the former 5-star recruit and the 4-star transfer from Oregon, Jackson Shelstad. The 4-star is coming off an injury that forced him to miss the majority of the season, but before he had to sit out, he was trending to have his best season yet.
Shelstad averaged 15.6 points, 4.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game, all of which were career highs. He made the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team his freshman season, followed by the All-Big 10 Third-Team, and now commits to Louisville after being ranked No. 16 overall and No. 5 among point guards in the Transfer Portal.
Shooting Guard: Adrian Wooley
The starting shooting guard looks to be the former 5-star transfer, Adrian Wooley. The Kennesaw State transfer announced he will return for his second season earlier this offseason, giving Louisville a huge boost in its backcourt. Wooley transferred to Louisville, ranked No. 2 among combo guards and No. 9 overall in the portal last offseason after averaging 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game his freshman season.
In his first year with Louisville, he showed a lot of promise and potential, especially in the 16 games he started. Wooley is a crafty guard who can get to his spots, make contested shots, create his own shots, and can be a 3-point shooter if they need him to be. The Cardinals' backcourt is going to be one of the best in the ACC, and Wooley is likely taking a big step forward for the 2026-27 season.
Small Forward: Karter Knox
The starting small forward for Louisville and Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals is trending to be another former 5-star and 4-star transfer, Karter Knox. The athletic forward has shown significant potential in his first two seasons with Arkansas, averaging 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 46.2 percent from the field as a freshman, and 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the field his sophomore season.
He started in 42 of 58 games for Arkansas over the past two seasons and played in just 22 this past season, missing the remainder after February due to an injury. Knox commits to Louisville after being a key piece in the 2025 Tournament, where he scored 15 points against St. John’s and 20 points against Texas Tech. He ranks No. 57 overall, No. 6 among small forwards, and is a 4-star transfer.
Power Forward: Alvaro Folgueiras
Louisville basketball landed its fourth commitment late Tuesday evening after the Iowa transfer made it official and committed to Louisville. Alvaro Folgueiras has been trending with the Cardinals for about a week now, but Kelsey finally got it done and landed the 4-star transfer, who will ultimately be his starting power forward.
Louisville needed a stretch four for its power forward, and Folgueiras will be just that for this starting lineup. At 6-foot-10, 230 pounds, the Iowa transfer is a 3-point shooter as he made 45 3’s while shooting 41.3 percent from beyond the arc his sophomore season. He made 101 3-pointers in three seasons, including 36 this past season with the Hawkeyes. He is coming off an eye-popping NCAA Tournament run, during which he hit a game-winning 3-pointer to beat Florida in the second round and averaged 14.7 points in three games. He ranks No. 54 overall and No. 13 among power forwards in the Transfer Portal.
Center: Flory Bidunga
And, of course, Louisville’s starting center will be the Kansas transfer, the former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Flory Bidunga. The Cardinals' biggest weakness this past season was their frontcourt, and with Kelsey getting Bidunga and Folgueiras, the Cardinals' frontcourt is looking much better heading into this upcoming season.
Bidunga ranks as a 5-star transfer after ranking in the top five for total blocks and blocks per game this past season. He averaged 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting 64 percent from the field. He made the All-Big 12 First-Team and is expected to have that dominant paint presence on both ends of the floor that Louisville desperately missed in the 2025-26 season. He ranks No. 1 among centers and No. 1 overall in the Transfer Portal.
Add us as a preferred source on Google