NCAA Basketball: Top 25 offseason winners entering 2024-25 season

No. 12 - Louisville Cardinals: Kenny Payne is out, Pat Kelsey is in

The short-lived Kenny Payne era was disastrous, recording only 12 wins in two seasons. Despite its recent struggles, the once-proud program is still among the best jobs in college basketball. Even if the Cardinals didn’t land their first two options -- Dusty May or Josh Schertz -- former Charleston HC Pat Kelsey’s infectious energy and winning pedigree is just what the program needs.

Kelsey, a former Chris Mack assistant at Xavier hailing from the Skip Prosser coaching tree, spent nine seasons at Winthrop before taking Charleston to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024. Although Kelsey may not have the heralded NCAA Tournament success many Cardinal fans had hoped for, the 180-degree roster flip Kesley engineered this offseason makes the Cardinals a top offseason winner.

Headlining the Louisville Cardinals transfer-heavy class is the reigning 2023-24 Sun Belt POY Terrance Edwards (James Madison), three-year starting PG Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin), and breakout star Kasean Pryor (South Florida), who helped the Bulls engineer one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in all of college basketball last season. 

It's a new era of Louisville basketball. With Kenny Payne out and Pat Kelsey, the energy surrounding the program has been reinvigorated. The talent of this year’s group is NCAA Tournament-caliber -- a clear upgrade from the past two seasons. The Cardinals are a top offseason winner.