Louisville coach Pat Kelsey has the Cardinals sitting at 25-6 overall, more than doubling the program’s two-season wins total under former coach Kenny Payne. Sam Upshaw Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Louisville Cracks Top-Five in ESPN's, SI's Way-Too-Early 2025-26 Top 25 Rankings

Originally posted on Louisville Cardinals on SI
By Matthew McGavic | Last updated Apr 8, 2025 8:10 AM ET

We're not even 24 hours removed from Florida's win over Houston in the men's college basketball national championship game, but it's never too early to start looking towards next season.

Sure, in the age of the transfer portal and unlimited player movement, crafting "Way-Too-Early" top-25 rankings seems like a pointless endevour considering some teams are far from being completed. That being said, the folks at both ESPN and Sports Illustrated did just that as soon as the final horn sounded on the Gators' 65-63 win over the Cougars.

If you're a Louisville fan, you have to like what you see, as both rankings have the Cardinals in the top-five.

ESPN is a little higher of Louisville, placing them at No. 3 behind only Houston and Purdue, although their projection accounts for a potential return of both J'Vonne Hadley and Kasean Pryor. SI's does not, but still places them at No. 5, behind Houston, Purdue, Duke and UConn.

"Year 1 under Pat Kelsey was a smashing success, and early recruiting momentum suggests the Cardinals could be well-positioned to build on that in Year 2," Sports Illustrated's Kevin Sweeney wrote.

It's easy to understand people are very high on the Cardinals for the 2025-26 season. While Louisville graduates six players and loses another to the portal, according to 247Sports' in-house rankings, the Cardinals bring in the No. 7 high school class and the No. 1 transfer portal class.

Out of the high school ranks, Louisville is bringing in five-star point guard Mikel Brown Jr., as well as four-star German big man Sananda Fru. Then out of the portal, they are welcoming Xavier guard Ryan Conwell, Virginia guard Isaac McKneely and Kennesaw State guard Adrian Wooley.

It makes up for the fact that the Cards saw Chucky Hepburn, Terrence Edwards Jr., Reyne Smith, Noah Waterman, Aboubacar Traore and Noah Waterman run out of eligibility, and Koren Johnson depart via the portal. Louisville brings back James Scott and Khani Rooths, as well as Aly Khalifa and Kobe Rodgers - who redshirted this past season. There's also the potential of J'Vonne Hadley and Kasean Pryor coming back for one more year.

Louisville is coming off of a successful year one under head coach Pat Kelsey. The Cardinals went 27-8 overall, winning more games than over the previous three seasons combined, resulting in Kelsey winning ACC Coach of the Year. UofL made their return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 - although it resulted in a first round exit to Creighton.