Pat Kelsey has done too good of a job rebuilding Louisville basketball to ask anyone for more patience.
That is the unavoidable conclusion after Sports Illustrated placed Flory Bidunga at No. 3 in its ranking of the top 10 centers for the 2026-27 season.
Bidunga trailed only Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas and Florida’s Rueben Chinyelu. He ranked ahead of prominent big men from Michigan, Gonzaga, Duke, UConn, Kentucky and Illinois.
It is a tremendous compliment for Louisville’s prized Kansas transfer. It is also another piece of evidence that the Cardinals should enter the season with Final Four expectations.
Reaching the NCAA Tournament is no longer enough. Winning a game or two in March would not constitute a breakthrough. Kelsey has assembled a roster capable of competing for a national championship, and Bidunga could be the player who makes it all work.
Flory Bidunga gives Louisville a championship anchor
Bidunga arrives after becoming one of the country’s most disruptive defenders at Kansas.
The 6-foot-10 center averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks last season, earning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors. He finished fourth nationally in blocks and established himself as an unusually versatile defender for his size.
Bidunga can protect the rim, switch onto smaller players and survive away from the basket. His athleticism also creates easy offense as a lob target, offensive rebounder and pick-and-roll finisher.
Sports Illustrated questioned whether his offensive game can make another leap at Louisville. That might determine whether Bidunga becomes a legitimate national player of the year candidate, but the Cardinals do not need him to transform into a traditional post scorer.
Kelsey has surrounded him with enough creators and shooters to accentuate what he already does exceptionally well.
Oregon transfer Jackson Shelstad averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 assists during an injury-shortened season. North Carolina transfer Seth Trimble brings another proven ballhandler after averaging a career-high 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season.
Louisville also added Karter Knox, Alvaro Folgueiras, De’Shayne Montgomery and 7-foot-5 Gabe Dynes through the portal. Five-star freshman Obinna Ekezie adds even more frontcourt depth.
The Cardinals did not merely plug a few holes. They assembled the nation’s No. 1 transfer class and then found room for Trimble in August.
Pat Kelsey has eliminated Louisville’s excuses
Kelsey deserves massive credit for restoring Louisville’s credibility so quickly.
The Cardinals have returned to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons after the program won only 12 total games during Kenny Payne’s disastrous two-year tenure. Kelsey made Louisville relevant again almost immediately.
Now comes the harder part.
Louisville has not reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2015. That drought once felt like an illustration of how badly the program had fallen. With this roster, it becomes a burden Kelsey is expected to erase.
There are reasonable concerns. A team built heavily through the transfer portal must establish roles and chemistry. Shelstad has dealt with injuries. Trimble is not a dependable outside shooter, and Bidunga still has room to develop offensively.
None of those issues should lower the ceiling.
Louisville has an elite defensive center, experienced guards, multiple high-major transfers and enough frontcourt depth to survive foul trouble or injuries. Kelsey possesses more talent and lineup flexibility than at any previous point in his career.
Sports Illustrated’s ranking did more than identify Bidunga as one of college basketball’s best centers. It highlighted how complete Louisville’s roster has become.
The rebuilding phase is over. Kelsey has his centerpiece, his supporting cast and one of the deepest rosters in the country.
Louisville must now produce a March run.
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