Latest news with #J'VonneHadley
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Louisville basketball roster 2025-26: An early look at Pat Kelsey's team for Year 2
Year 1 of Pat Kelsey's Louisville basketball revival has come to an end. Now, after leading the Cardinals to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, the 49-year-old Cincinnati native turns his attention toward sustained success. Advertisement Step 1: replacing the following scholarship players, who have exhausted their eligibility: There's no guarantee that the six names listed above will be the only departures. The NCAA transfer portal opens for business March 24, and who knows how things will shake out from there. Here's a breakdown of the U of L players who are in line to return in 2025-26, if they don't elect to pursue greener pastures elsewhere, and the newcomers who committed to Kelsey during his inaugural campaign: Mikel Brown Jr. Louisville point guard commit Mikel Brown Jr (0) of DME Academy drives around a pressing Flamio Mateus of West Oaks Academy at the Grind Session tournament at Fern Creek High School Friday Jan. 3, 2025. Hepburn is passing the torch of "Point Guard U" to Mikel Brown Jr., the 29th McDonald's All-American in Louisville history. The 6-foot-3 floor general is a product of DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida, and ranks among the top 10 players in the 2025 cycle, regardless of position, on the 247Sports Composite. In February, ESPN had him as a lottery pick in its first 2026 NBA Draft projections. Sananda Fru Sananda Fru is a 6-11, 245-pound destroyer of rims in Germany's top-flight Basketball Bundesliga, where he's played since 2021. A source close to the U of L program told The Courier Journal that the 21-year-old "should" have two years of collegiate eligibility upon arriving in the 502. Fru was an early entrant for the 2023 NBA Draft but later withdrew his name from consideration. J'Vonne Hadley Louisville's guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) makes a shot against Stanford Saturday at KFC Yum! Center. March 8, 2025 J'Vonne Hadley, U of L's consummate glue guy, is the first of two fifth-year Cards who can take advantage of a December court ruling that prohibits the NCAA from counting time players spend at the junior-college level toward their eligibility clock. The 6-6 native of St. Paul, Minnesota, was U of L's top rebounder in 2024-25. Koren Johnson Louisville Cardinals guard Koren Johnson (3) gets two plus the foul against Spalding University's Levi Langley (21) in the second half in the Cards' second exhibition game against Spalding University at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. Koren Johnson tore his labrum in mid-November. A couple weeks later, the 6-2 junior guard from Seattle took to social media to announce he was undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery and would pursue a medial redshirt. Johnson, who was named Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore at Washington, totaled six points on 3-for-11 shooting, five assists and three steals across appearances in Louisville's first two games of the season (19.5 minutes per). Aly Khalifa Louisville center Aly Khalifa during Louisville Live at the KFC Yum! Center Friday night. Oct. 4, 2024 Regarded as one of the best passing big men in the country, Aly Khalifa is the first of two Louisville seniors who redshirted in 2024-25 while recovering from injuries they dealt with at their previous stops. The 6-11 Egyptian, who joined Louisville from BYU, underwent surgery to repair a hole in the cartilage of his left knee; which he said has been bothering him since his collegiate career began at Charlotte. Kasean Pryor Nov 27, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; Louisville Cardinals forward Kasean Pryor (7) reacts after dunking during the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Louisville's season changed significantly when Kasean Pryor tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis championship game. During a January road trip to Syracuse, the 6-10 forward told radio play-by-play announcer Paul Rogers "there's definitely (the) potential" of him returning to the Cards; whether it be via a medical redshirt or the additional year of eligibility he's in line to receive due to his time in the JUCO ranks. Kobe Rodgers Nov 4, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Kobe Rodgers (11) celebrates with Johnny Kelsey during the second half against the Morehead State Eagles at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images Kobe Rodgers joined Khalifa in redshirting this season after suffering a leg injury during Charleston's first-round loss in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. That was the 6-3 Cincinnati native's first campaign with Kelsey; and he finished it averaging 9.7 points on 50% shooting, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals and a 1.4 assist-turnover ratio. Before signing with the Cougars, Rodgers was part of a Nova Southeastern team that went 36-0 and won the Division II national championship. Khani Rooths Nov 27, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; Louisville Cardinals forward Khani Rooths (9) reacts with Louisville Cardinals guard Terrence Edwards Jr. (5) after scoring during the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images The lone freshman on Louisville's 2024-25 roster, 6-8 forward Khani Rooths, showed flashes of potential throughout the season and threw down some of the most electrifying dunks of the campaign. "The thing that you can 100,000% count on," Kelsey said, "is that kid's going to empty the tank every time he takes the floor. Everything he does, he does with everything he's got." James Scott Jan 7, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward James Scott (0) dunks against the Clemson Tigers during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Clemson 74-64. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images Speaking of dunks, only one Louisville player in program history has throw down more during a single season than James Scott did during his first go-around with the Cards: Montrezl Harrell. During an interview with The Field of 68 in January, Kelsey said the 6-11 native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, is "one of my favorite players I've ever coached. "I've never met a more devoted, committed basketball player." Advertisement Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@ and follow him on X at @brooksHolton. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball roster 2025-26: Pat Kelsey team for next season
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Duke takes on Louisville in ACC Championship game
Louisville Cardinals (26-6, 20-2 ACC) vs. Duke Blue Devils (29-3, 21-1 ACC) Charlotte, North Carolina; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Blue Devils -5.5; over/under is 146 BOTTOM LINE: No. 1 Duke squares off against No. 13 Louisville in the ACC Championship. The Blue Devils are 21-1 against ACC opponents and 8-2 in non-conference play. Duke has a 1-1 record in games decided by less than 4 points. The Cardinals are 20-2 in ACC play. Louisville is third in the ACC with 25.2 defensive rebounds per game led by J'Vonne Hadley averaging 5.2. Duke scores 83.3 points, 14.6 more per game than the 68.7 Louisville gives up. Louisville has shot at a 45.7% rate from the field this season, 7.3 percentage points higher than the 38.4% shooting opponents of Duke have averaged. The teams meet for the second time this season. The Blue Devils won 76-65 in the last matchup on Dec. 8. Cooper Flagg led the Blue Devils with 20 points, and Terrence Edwards led the Cardinals with 21 points. TOP PERFORMERS: Flagg is scoring 18.9 points per game and averaging 7.5 rebounds for the Blue Devils. Kon Knueppel is averaging 15.7 points and 4.3 rebounds over the last 10 games. Chucky Hepburn is scoring 16.4 points per game with 3.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists for the Cardinals. Edwards is averaging 20.9 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 53.2% over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Devils: 9-1, averaging 89.5 points, 36.1 rebounds, 17.2 assists, 6.8 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 50.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.7 points per game. Cardinals: 10-0, averaging 80.5 points, 33.0 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 6.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.6 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Associated Press
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Duke takes on Louisville in ACC Championship game
Charlotte, North Carolina; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Blue Devils -5.5; over/under is 146 BOTTOM LINE: No. 1 Duke squares off against No. 13 Louisville in the ACC Championship. The Blue Devils are 21-1 against ACC opponents and 8-2 in non-conference play. Duke has a 1-1 record in games decided by less than 4 points. The Cardinals are 20-2 in ACC play. Louisville is third in the ACC with 25.2 defensive rebounds per game led by J'Vonne Hadley averaging 5.2. Duke scores 83.3 points, 14.6 more per game than the 68.7 Louisville gives up. Louisville has shot at a 45.7% rate from the field this season, 7.3 percentage points higher than the 38.4% shooting opponents of Duke have averaged. The teams meet for the second time this season. The Blue Devils won 76-65 in the last matchup on Dec. 8. Cooper Flagg led the Blue Devils with 20 points, and Terrence Edwards led the Cardinals with 21 points. TOP PERFORMERS: Flagg is scoring 18.9 points per game and averaging 7.5 rebounds for the Blue Devils. Kon Knueppel is averaging 15.7 points and 4.3 rebounds over the last 10 games. Chucky Hepburn is scoring 16.4 points per game with 3.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists for the Cardinals. Edwards is averaging 20.9 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 53.2% over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Devils: 9-1, averaging 89.5 points, 36.1 rebounds, 17.2 assists, 6.8 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 50.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.7 points per game. Cardinals: 10-0, averaging 80.5 points, 33.0 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 6.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.6 points. ___
USA Today
14-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Will Clemson beat Louisville in ACC Tournament? ESPN makes its prediction
Will Clemson beat Louisville in ACC Tournament? ESPN makes its prediction Who has the edge in tonight's matchup between Clemson and Louisville? Here's what ESPN thinks of the matchup. Next up for the Clemson Tigers is a rematch with the Louisville Cardinals in the ACC Tournament tonight. Louisville (26-6 overall) was one of only two teams that defeated the Tigers (27-5) in the ACC regular season. That came on Jan. 7, when J'Vonne Hadley had a career-high 32 points and 10 rebounds in a 74-64 Cardinals win. Clemson has lost only once since then, as has Louisville. Both teams fell to Georgia Tech. The Tigers opened ACC Tournament play Thursday night with a gritty 57-54 win over the SMU Mustangs. Chase Hunter had 15 of his 21 points in the second half to help Clemson erase a five-point deficit for the team's ninth straight win. Louisville won its 10th straight on Thursday with some late heroics from Chucky Hepburn, whose put-back at the buzzer helped the Cardinals escape for a 75-73 win over Stanford. Hepburn had 20 points to go with Terrence Edwards' 25. How do Clemson and Louisville stack up on a neutral court? While oddsmakers essentially have the game as a tossup, ESPN gives the Tigers better odds. ESPN Analytics' Matchup Predictor, which offers a prediction model based on its College Basketball Power Index ratings and other variables, gives Clemson a 61 percent chance to win Friday's game at Spectrum Center. ESPN defines its BPI ratings as a "measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is." Adds ESPN: "Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude." Clemson enters the day No. 17 in ESPN's BPI, while Louisville is No. 28. Clemson vs. Louisville is scheduled for a 9:30 p.m. ET tip at Spectrum Center. The game will be televised on ESPN. The Clemson-Louisville winner will face the winner of North Carolina (22-12) vs. Duke (29-3) in the ACC title game Saturday night at 8:30 ET. HOW TO WATCH: Time, TV channel for Clemson-Louisville Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
Associated Press
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Louisville takes on Clemson in ACC Tournament
Charlotte, North Carolina; Friday, 9:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tigers -1.5; over/under is 141.5 BOTTOM LINE: No. 13 Louisville plays in the ACC Tournament against No. 10 Clemson. The Cardinals have gone 19-2 against ACC opponents, with a 7-4 record in non-conference play. Louisville is fourth in the ACC with 9.7 offensive rebounds per game led by J'Vonne Hadley averaging 2.2. The Tigers are 19-2 against ACC opponents. Clemson is fifth in the ACC scoring 76.4 points per game and is shooting 46.8%. Louisville averages 9.6 made 3-pointers per game, 2.7 more made shots than the 6.9 per game Clemson allows. Clemson has shot at a 46.8% rate from the field this season, 4.2 percentage points higher than the 42.6% shooting opponents of Louisville have averaged. The teams meet for the second time this season. Louisville won 74-64 in the last matchup on Jan. 8. Hadley led Louisville with 32 points, and Chase Hunter led Clemson with 15 points. TOP PERFORMERS: Reyne Smith is shooting 38.3% from beyond the arc with 3.5 made 3-pointers per game for the Cardinals, while averaging 13.4 points. Terrence Edwards is averaging 20.9 points and 3.6 assists over the past 10 games. Hunter is averaging 16.2 points for the Tigers. Viktor Lakhin is averaging 14.0 points over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinals: 10-0, averaging 80.5 points, 33.0 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 6.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.6 points per game. Tigers: 9-1, averaging 75.3 points, 33.1 rebounds, 15.0 assists, 7.6 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 63.6 points. ___
