Here are the previous teams ranked in our 82 in 72 series:
51. Boise State Broncos
52. Clemson Tigers
53. New Mexico Lobos
58. SMU Mustangs
60. Nevada Wolfpack
61. TCU Horned Frogs
63. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
65. Syracuse Orange
68. Iowa Hawkeyes
70. Butler Bulldogs
71. Princeton Tigers
74. Oklahoma Sooners
75. West Virginia Mountaineers
76. Georgia Bulldogs
77. UAB Blazers
80. Missouri Tigers
Here’s where each of our analysts had Louisville ranked:
| Steven | Maxwell | Kam | Cody |
| 53 | 46 | 65 | 50 |
After two disastrous seasons that saw the Cardinals go 12-52, out goes Kenny Payne, in comes Pat Kelsey. During those same two years, Kelsey went 58-12 with College of Charleston. And while expectations may not be that Louisville will be back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019, things are certainly trending that way.
Louisville is essentially turning the entire roster over and re-built this roster using the portal. The starting backcourt will likely be Chucky Hepburn from Wisconsin as well as Aboubacar Traore from Long Beach State. Alongside those two is the Sun Belt Player of the Year, Terrence Edwards from James Madison. Additionally, the two big men of Kaesean Pryor from USF and James Scott from Charleston will round out the starting five. If the foreign tour to the Bahamas that Louisville participated in is any indication, it seems like Pryor will have a very large role on offense. During the foreign tour, the Cardinals played the Bahamas Select team as well as University of Calgary, a high level Canadian team. Against the Bahamas Select team, Louisville won 111-59 with seven players scoring in double figures. Against Calgary, Louisville won 111-71, with Pryor scoring 20 points.
This Louisville team isn’t just about the starting lineup. They also have a deep, veteran laden bench. Koren Johnson from Washington, Reyne Smith from Kelsey’s Charleston team, and Colorado’s J’Vonne Hadley are all fourth or fifth year players and all can shoot the ball. Johnson also won Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year last season. Hadley shot 41.7% from 3, while Smith and Johnson shot 39.4% and 37.3% respectively. The big man behind Pryor and Scott is BYU’s Noah Waterman, a respective 37% 3 point shooter in his own right. Aside from James Scott, every one of the aforementioned players are seniors, 5th year, or in the vase of Waterman, a 6th year guy. This team is experienced, and this team is strong. Literally. Hepburn and Traore are two very hefty guards for their size. Additionally, Louisville added top 40 freshman, Khani Rooths, to this squad. Aside from the experience and strength, this team can defend and they can rebound. This team complements Kelsey’s coaching style well.
Kelsey’s teams play uptempo and these guys can run the court. They rebound, as this team is capable of. They will shoot a ton of threes. And most importantly, they will be vocal. Hepburn is a three year starter at the most important position in the sport, Edwards and Traore are do-it-all type wings, and Hadley and Koren Johnson know what it takes, as both have played with current pros. This team will get out on the break, get second chance points, take care of the ball, and shoot threes. That combination will make for a very fun product to watch on the court.
The Center Hub 
Leave a reply to 82 in 72: #47 Saint Mary’s Gaels – The Center Hub Cancel reply