Louisville's Way-Too-Early Starting Lineup Projection for 2026-27

Point Guard: Tajianna Roberts

Out of all the prospects in Louisville's extremely talented and productive 2024 recruiting class, Roberts has arguably been the best player in college up to this point. The 5-foot-10 guard has been a starter from day one, and is coming off of a sophomore campaign worthy of Second-Team All-ACC honors. On a team with an incredibly deep bench, she still led the Cardinals in scoring and assists at 11.5 points and 3.1 assists, while shooting 38.9 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent on three-point tries.

Shooting Guard: Imari Berry

Berry might not have been a starter, but don't let that fool you. She was one of Louisville's most crucial assets this season, paving the way for her to earn Second-Team All-ACC honors and be named the league's Sixth Player of the Year. Playing in all 37 games with just two starts, the 5-foot-10 guard was the Cardinals' third-leading scorer at 10.9 points per game, while also hauling in 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists. She shot 43.8 percent from the field, as well as a team-best 37.1 percent on threes.

Guard/Forward: Mackenly Randolph

Randolph is one of the two returners to start all 37 games this past season (along with Roberts) after taking a big step forward from her freshman year. This season as a sophomore, the 6-foot-0 forward - who is the daughter of former NBA All-Star Zach Randolph - scored 8.5 points per game was their second-leading rebounder at 5.6 per game. She also connected on 53.0 percent of her field goal attempts, which was the second-highest on the team.

Power Forward: Elif Istanbulluoglu

No one on Louisville took a bigger step forward from last season than Istanbulluoglu, so much so that she even finished third in the league's Most Improved Player voting. Starting and playing in all but one game, the 6-foot-3 forward averaged 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, while also shooting 50.4 percent from the floor and 34.5 percent on threes. For context, she averaged just 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds a game the season prior.

Center: Anaya Hardy

Hardy had an interesting role for Louisville this season. While she made 27 starts and played in 35 games, her 11.3 minutes per game was just eighth on the team. That being said, she has shown promise. She finished the season averaging 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, and her 66.7 field goal percentage was not only best on the team - it would be good for second in D1 if it qualified nationally. It seems that, sooner rather than later, she'll be able to show her dunking ability in an actual game.

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