1. Louisville Cardinals
It’s been two seasons for Pat Kelsey at Louisville and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. It’s been two seasons highly competitive in the ACC and two seasons putting his players in the position to succeed despite a few shortcomings here and there. Last year’s offseason for Kelsey was all about adding shooting after that was a struggle in 2025 but this offseason featured a little of everything and a stunning transfer haul.
The highlight is obviously Flory Bidunga, widely considered the top available transfer of the entire offseason. The 6-9 forward averaged 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds at Kansas and should be the focal point of Louisville’s frontcourt this season. He came to the Cardinals as a package deal early in the process with Jackson Shelstad, the former Oregon point guard who put up 15.6 points and 4.9 assists per game for the Ducks in the Big Ten.
Beyond two of the top transfers on the market, Louisville also added great potential and size across the roster. Gabes Dynes and his 7-3 frame comes from USC hopeful for an opportunity while Alvaro Folgueiras arrives from Iowa after playing a dynamic role in an Elite Eight season for the Hawkeyes. Karter Knox was a highly-regarded prospect for Arkansas and now arrives for his junior season with the Cardinals while nobody is forgetting about former Dayton guard De’Shayne Montgomery.
Grabbing Bidunga made this a successful offseason, but getting Shelstad, Folgueiras and the others made this a home run all around. What hampered the Cardinals last season was a lack of frontcourt strength and Bidunga certainly changes that conversation drastically. Louisville got bigger, better, and more talented and it’s up to Kelsey to see if his upstart Cardinals can actually win an ACC title in the months ahead.
Add us as a preferred source on Google