College Basketball Analysts High on Louisville Following Early Portal Additions

Pat Kelsey has only been the head coach of the Louisville men's basketball program since Mar. 28. But in that month-plus since being hired to take over the Cardinals, he and his staff have done a masterful job in the transfer portal.

Countering for the loss of all 12 scholarship players from last year's roster, so far, Kelsey and Co. have landed eight transfers for the 2024-25 season. Three of those players - Terrence Edwards Jr., Chucky Hepburn and J'Vonne Hadley - are regarded as top-100 players to hit the portal according to The Athletic, and the class as a whole ranks No. 15 nationally according to 247Sports.

Because of the success that Kelsey has had early in the portal, Louisville is starting to generate some buzz as a team who could make some noise in the ACC next season. On Wednesday, the folks over at The Field of 68 said that they believe that, while the Cardinals still have some work to do in the portal, they could be an NCAA Tournament team in year one of the Pat Kelsey era.

"I think what Kelsey has done is more impressive certainly than what (Kentucky head coach) Mark Pope has done in the short term, with putting together a team that the pieces fit," Jeff Goodman said. "Hepburn was kind of the final- well not the final key piece, because they still need to get a big. They still need a five minute at this point. ... If they get one of those two guys (Great Osobor or Norchad Omier), they're in business. They're absolutely in business. If they don't, I don't know if they're an NCAA tournament team."

Out of Louisville's current crop of transfers, post players are still a glaring need, but the program is hard at work on this front. Former Utah State forward/center and 2024 Mountain West Player of the Year Great Osobor is currently on a visit to the Cardinals, and Goodman believes that former Miami forward/center and All-ACC selection Norchad Omier is "maybe on the board as a possibility" if things with Osobor fall through.

Even if Louisville doesn't get either of these two big men, Goodman's Field of 68 cohort, Rob Dauster, thinks the Cards are already a tournament team as is. Although that statement is contingent on at least getting a big man that will be "good enough" to give them what they need to make the tournament.

"I think Chucky Hepburn is really good, he's going to be an all ACC guard," Dauster said. "Reyne Smith is a shooter, Koren Johnson is a good piece. We know what Terrence Edwards is, he can be one of those versatile wings. I like J'Vonne Hadley. I actually liked the addition of Aboubacar Traore, I think he's one of the better defenders that you can pull out of the portal. And don't forget about boy James Scott."

"If they do add Great Osobor, I do think that we're looking at a situation where I could squint my eyes and see a team that can make the second weekend with him added there."

Part of the reason why the Goodman, Dauster and John Fanta are so high on Louisville is because of how well these pieces fit together as it pertains to Kelsey's scheme. While this might not be the creme-of-the-crop in terms of transfer classes compared to places like Indiana, Kansas and Arkansas, they fit together really well.

"I would make the argument that these pieces fit together about as well as you can," Dauster said. "You can see how this is coming together. You can see what his plan was. You can see what he was thinking as he added each one of these guys. Just finish it off with a big guy, finish it off with someone in the post."

At a place like Louisville where they are taking on a complete and total rebuild in terms of both roster and culture, Fanta adds that he agrees with Kelsey's apparent notion that he needs guys that will fit his system in his first year at the helm, and not necessarily the most talented guys available.

"You could crush it in the portal, and you could even get pieces that come off as a fit. We're not going to know until things all come together," he said. "But when you're at the stature of these types of programs, of what Pat Kelsey is trying to build at Louisville, you've got to get dudes who are going to fit what you're trying to do in year one."