Pat Kelsey reacts to House Settlement, revenue-sharing reaching college basketball

In June, the House v. NCAA settlement was approved, consequently allowing revenue sharing in college athletics. This past week, Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey revealed his thoughts on the introduction of revenue sharing in college basketball.

“It’s good that the settlement’s finally done,” Kelsey said. “There was speculation. Will it? Won’t it. Will it? Won’t it? Will it get approved? And then there’s all this other stuff. Just the fact that it’s done, and we have some parameters, we have guidelines, we’ve pressed the go button. And, obviously, outside the settlement, there’s true NIL as well, and it’ll just be really interesting.

“There’s a collective want too in college sports right now, to try to make this work. Change is inevitable, and this is one of the most seismic shifts in the history of college basketball, the last couple years both the transfer portal and with NIL. And this new change, but you like that there’s some structure now. And I think everybody’s committed to make this work.”

Schools are now allowed to share $20.5 million directly with their athletes. This revenue-sharing cap will increase by 4% annually.

Each school can choose how they want to split up the $20.5 million between its programs. Louisville hasn’t publicly revealed how it will divvy up the money, but men’s basketball receives the second-largest percentage of the money, behind football, at most schools.

After Pat Kelsey led the Cardinals to a 27-8 overall record and an ACC Tournament Championship appearance last season, it’s safe to assume Louisville men’s basketball will receive its fair share in the school’s revenue-sharing budget. After all, the Cardinals are poised for another standout season.

Louisville reeled in the No. 21 class in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings this offseason. The group includes Isaac McKneely, Ryan Conwell and Adrian Wooley, each of whom were some of the most sought-after players at their respective position in the portal.

Not to mention, the team is returning numerous key pieces, including J’Vonne Hadley, Aly Khalifa and Kasean Pryor. On3’s James Fletcher III listed Louisville as the No. 11 team in the country in his “way-too-early” Top 25 for the 2025-26 season. Fletcher isn’t the only college basketball expert with high expectations for Louisville next season.

“Last season for Pat Kelsey was about changing the narrative surrounding the program,” CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein said. “This season is about being in a situation where you can get a high seed on Selection Sunday and be in position to play very deep into the NCAA Tournament.

“Right now, unequivocally, Louisville will enter next season as the top contender to Duke in the ACC. And Louisville will play its most-anticipated season, highlighted by its most-anticipated non-conference schedule in a long time. This is the most-anticipated season Louisville has had in five years.”