By Justin Taylor
The Louisville men’s basketball team has officially wrapped the 2025-2026 season. Year two under Pat Kelsey saw the Cards go 24-11 overall and 11-7 in conference play.
Expectations for the Cards were through the roof after an amazing turnaround during Kelsey’s first season. This season, Louisville won 19 more games and made the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years. The Cards entered this season ranked No. 11 in the AP poll. They had a deep roster filled with experienced players and shooters at every corner. Add to that a talented freshman class headed by crown jewel Mikel Brown Jr. and German pro Sananda Fru, and all eyes were going to be on the Yum Center each night.
At the top of the key, Brown Jr. was everything advertised, threatening opposing defenses as a passer and scorer, averaging 18.2 points and 4.7 assists. His incredible season was rewarded with a spot on the All-ACC third team. Isaac McKneely was lethal from behind the arc but came up short in big games. Kobe Rodgers and Adrian Woolley gave consistent depth in the backcourt. The latter provided much-needed scoring in the absence of Brown’s ever-present back injuries, along with a game-winner against Miami to cap off conference play.
Mikel Brown Jr. shoots the ball during the game against Virginia Tech at the KFC Yum! Center on January 24, 2026.
On the wing, Khani Rooths showed growth as a ball handler and shot creator in his sophomore year. Ryan Conwell spearheaded the offense, averaging a team high 18.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. He earned himself All-ACC second team honors in the process. J’Vonne Hadley was reliable, doing a little bit of everything and swishing in a team-high 44 percent of his threes. Kasean Pryor brought grit off the bench in the limited action he saw coming off a torn ACL.
Down low, Sanada Fru provided stability at the center spot, averaging 9 points and 6.1 rebounds. Vangelis Zougris brought high energy in spot minutes across the season and became a critical starter later. Aly Khalifa functioned as a great secondary playmaker, occasionally draining a spot-up three to keep the defense guessing.
The Cards had a promise of not ducking smoke in the build-up to this season. Louisville’s schedule attempted to revive old rivalries. These local showdowns saw Louisville beat Kentucky, Indiana, Cincinnati and Memphis. However, the Cards could not come away with key wins when needed against quality ACC opponents like Duke and Virginia. A running theme throughout the season was the Cards’ inability to come away with wins against top-ranked opposition. Louisville went 1-8 against Quad 1A opponents. In these matchups – whether they be against Duke, North Carolina, Arkansas, or Tennessee – there was a sheer lack of fight. These teams took advantage of the Cards’ lack of size and poor defense to feast inside.
Duke center Patrick Ngongba gets big in the paint against Louisville’s Kasean Pryor, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Jai’Michael Anderson / The Louisville Cardinal)
Louisville sank versus Miami in the quarter finals of the ACC tournament and earned themselves a sixth seed heading into the NCAA tournament. During March Madness, they came away with a scrappy win in the first round against South Florida. It was their first win in the tournament since 2017 before being taken down by Michigan State.
Kelsey does deserve credit for reviving a program that seemed broken at every level. But we must understand that the standards now have to be raised. If Louisville is to enter back into the realm of elite college basketball programs again, he will need to beat the likes of John Calipari, Jon Scheyer and Tom Izzo consistently. Kelsey will also have to build rosters that are properly filled out and versatile. Louisville’s fast paced, three point centric offense was tailored for the modern game, but far too often Kelsey simply stuck to his guns instead of going deeper into his bag.
Conwell, Hadley, McKneely, Khalifa and Rodgers have all exhausted their eligibility and will not be suiting up next season. Brown Jr. will almost certainly declare for the NBA draft. Fru, Camara and Rhooths have entered the transfer portal as of April 6, leaving Louisville with just five players eligible for next season, including Wooley, Zougris, and London Johnson.
Like the previous season, Kelsey and company will need to build the roster through the transfer portal. Louisville looks to replace all top five leading scorers and tightening weaknesses that hurt down the stretch such as defense and interior size.
Photo Courtesy Mallory Peak / Louisville Athletics
