With Pat Kelsey’s first year showing huge promise, and showing a return to the standard of excellence of Louisville Basketball, fans are looking forward to Kelsey’s second season as head coach. “The standard’s back…the expectations are skyhigh,” Kelsey said.  After being eliminated from the first round of March Madness last year, the Cardinals and their fans hope to make a run this year. With new promising players and returning talent, Louisville looks better than ever, with a great amount of depth this year after being plagued with injuries last year. Despite a lack of depth last year, the Cardinals still managed to be 27-8, more wins than the last three seasons combined, while breaking multiple records along the way.  The new 2025-26 season started Monday, Nov. 3, with a game against the South Carolina State Bulldogs, who Louisville had a dominant 104-45 win against.

This year, Louisville added guards Ryan Conwell, Adrian Wooley, and Isaac McKneely, who are all elite shooters.  Louisville also added Sanandra Fru, a German player who plays Forward and Center. Mouhamed Camara, a freshman from Senegal, also joins Pryor at forward this year. The most important addition this year however is five-star freshman recruit Mikel Brown Jr. Brown has big shoes to fill after Chucky Hepburn’s incredible season last year, but fans are hopeful that he can. Mikel has already had big games, scoring 28 points against Bucknell and going on a huge run while playing for team USA’s U19 National Team.

Returning players this year include J’Vonne Hadley and Khani Rooths. Hadley is a guard who proved to be a backbone of the team last year after returning from an injury. Hadley will lead this team this year as captain. Kelsey said, “That’s what we want a Louisville basketball player to be about. Be about the team. Be Tough. Be Competative… and make people around you better. And that kind of describes J’Vonne.” He also described him with one single word “Winner.” Khanai Rooths proved himself near the end of last season, and already has in this season. Other players also return from injury including Kasean Pryor who returns this year after sustaining a torn ACL at the start of last season. Kelsey said that Kasean “is just building up… We don’t want to get him out there until he’s truly ready.” Aly Kalifa also returns after being redshirted last season, rehabbing a knee injury after surgery. Another guard, Kobe Rodgers, returns after he was redshirted last year and did not play due to a knee injury. Kelsey said that all of these people “make up one of the best frontcourts in the country in my opinion.”

After making the ACC championship for the first time and losing to Duke, the Cardinals hope to get back and win this year. After that Coach Kelsey has said they hope to make a run in March Madness. After Brown committed to Louisville, Kelsey said, “We’re going to a Final Four, We’re going to win a national championship.” Louisville however faces tough opponents early in the season with current no. 9 Kentucky being only their third game. This should be a great game with Louisville and Kentucky, famed rivals, being the best they have been in possibly a decade. Louisville then plays current no. 14 Arkansas at the start of December, and current no. 6 Duke at the start of the new year.

Pat Kelsey said, “Louisville is the best college sports city in America,” and this year they hope to prove it. If the Cards can keep on playing at a high level, and stay healthy, they could be looking at a potential third national title, marking the return to glory for historically one of the best college basketball teams in the nation. “We want to win it all. You want to win a national championship, and we have the resources to do it.”