Three storylines to watch when Louisville hosts Kansas
College basketball is finally here. Championship aspirations surround the Louisville basketball program for the 2025-26 season. The 11th-ranked Cards face their first challenge on October 24th as No. 19 Kansas visits the Yum! Center for an exhibition game.
Pat Kelsey will face off against coaching legend Bill Self and his star-studded roster. Headlined by projected lottery pick Darryn Peterson, this Kansas team is young and talented.
The Jayhawks feature former Louisville forward Tre White, 5-star big man Flory Bidunga, and Loyola Chicago sharpshooting transfer Jayden Dawson. But, more than anything, both fanbases are eager to see how the two rosters perform on the floor, with the matchup a test for both teams.
Louisville will have its hands full as it takes the court for the first time together. Even with it not affecting their record, the Cards have a big opportunity to gain experience, matching up against an elite program.
Addressing concerns and questions early on in the season will be a huge benefit for this coaching staff. Here are three key storylines to watch.
Finding chemistry
Louisville returns five scholarship players from last year’s tournament team. Only three of those players saw action, with one being sidelined after a season-ending injury.
Pat Kelsey went out and brought in a grab bag mix of players. Transfers Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely, and Adrian Wooley will pair with five-star freshman Mikel Brown in the backcourt. International players Sananda Fru, Vangelis Zougris, and Mouhamed Camara help add size to the frontcourt. Big man redshirt-senior Aly Khalifia and redshirt-sophomore guard Kobe Rodgers also headline the players making their Yum! Center playing debut.
These moving pieces can cause growing pains. Last season, Louisville brought in an entirely new roster that started the season 6-5. As the team developed, they started hitting stride, allowing Louisville to go on a 21-3 run to finish the year.
The Kansas game, being an exhibition, will be a great chance for Louisville to see how it fares against top competition, and a chance for players to build on floor camaraderie.
It takes time for teams to develop into “one”. Chemistry will be a key aspect of this exhibition game, and Card Nation should be keeping an eye out for how these players gel.
Frontcourt questions
One aspect of concern for this Louisville roster is the frontcourt. Dunking machine James Scott surprisingly entered the transfer portal after starting 34 games for the Cards last season. Sixth-year senior Noah Waterman graduated after being a key piece at the forward position. Big man Frank Anselem-Ibe has now moved on to a graduate assistant role under the Kelsey staff.
These changing pieces throughout the Louisville program have brought questions about who will step up in their place.
Returning forward J’Vonne Hadley stands at 6-foot-7, 210 pounds, and is more than capable of moving into the four or five spot. After averaging 12.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, Hadley is expected to be a leader on this team.
Athletic big man Kasean Pryor is returning from an ACL tear, and while his timeline to return remains unclear, his ability to guard all five positions adds great versatility to the frontcourt.
Khalifia hasn’t played basketball in over a year after sustaining a knee injury. He took that time to slim down, turning him into a whole new type of player. At 7-foot, Khalifia is expected to be one of the best passing big men in the country.
Returning sophomore Khani Rooths can easily make a big second-year jump, giving Louisville another athletic option at the power forward position.
Kelsey understood he lost a big part of his frontcourt during the offseason. He addressed these concerns by bringing in three experienced foreign players with Fru, Zougris, and Camara. Only time will tell if these untraditional additions will pay off, and this exhibition game will be a great snippet of what the season might hold.
Lineup questions?
Depth might be Louisville’s biggest strength for this upcoming season. Kelsey has 12 very capable players ready to see the floor. This brings up the question of what lineups will look like throughout the game.
Many projections have Mikel Brown, Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKeenly, J’Vonne Hadley, and Sananda Fru as the day one starters. This leaves five-star transfer Adrian Wooley, Kaseon Pryor, and many other big pieces on the bench.
Kelsey will probably play many lineups during this exhibition game, trying to find which ones work well with their game plan.
Louisville did a great job bringing in stars at positions of need. Now it’s time to find out how this new group plays together and what lineups fit its style best.
