Latest news with #PatKelsey
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fans Upset Over Kentucky Basketball's News After Mark Pope's First Season
Kentucky and Louisville basketball fans woke up to surprising news on Wednesday: their annual rivalry game will be moved up to Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. This marks the earliest meeting in the series' history, which dates back to 1913. Advertisement In 2024‑25, Kentucky (24-12, 10-8 SEC) reached the Sweet 16 under new head coach, Mark Pope, while Louisville (27-8, 18-2 ACC) enjoyed a major turnaround under first‑year coach Pat Kelsey, earning a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. By shifting the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry game into early November, both programs not only kick off their non‑conference slates with maximum intrigue but also set the stage for one of college basketball's most compelling in‑state showdowns before the season's midpoint. Fans were quick to react to the news. One commenter posted, "Interesting," met with another user with, "We're gonna play the basketball game before the football game!!??" Advertisement Another Kentucky fan said, "Wanted to go ahead and get the belt to ahh over with quicker," while one other remarked, "Ez dub." One user said, "Why so early and on a Tuesday?", to which another responded, "But like why?". Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope.© Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Kentucky entered 2024-25 under Pope after John Calipari's departure. Along the way, the Wildcats ranked as high as No. 4 in the AP poll and finished the year No. 12. Louisville, on the other hand, hired Kelsey and reached the ACC tournament final, falling to Duke, and earned a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they were upset by Creighton in the first round. For fans, recruits and media, this big rivalry game now arrives as one of college basketball's earliest, and potentially most consequential, matchups of 2025-26. Advertisement Related: Duke's Jon Scheyer Gets Major Recruiting News on Four-Star Recruit Related: Kentucky Makes Decision on Coaching Staff After Mark Pope's First Season
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Louisville basketball roster look for Year 2 under Pat Kelsey after transfer portal window
The NCAA transfer portal has closed, and Pat Kelsey's Louisville basketball roster for the 2025-26 season is almost complete. Between the portal opening March 24 and it closing April 22, the Cardinals had two scholarship players enter (junior guard Koren Johnson and sophomore forward James Scott) and brought in three from other Division I programs. Advertisement Factor in two other newcomers and the five players from the 2024-25 roster who decided to stay put, and U of L had 10 of its 13 scholarship spots accounted for Year 2 of Kelsey's tenure as of April 23. There are still moves to be made, but the group Louisville has assembled to this point is garnering high praise. Coming off a 27-8 finish to 2024-25, the Cards appeared in the top five of six way-too-early top 25s for 2025-26 that were released after Florida beat Houston in the national championship. Here's a rundown of where the roster stood as of April 23: Mikel Brown Jr. Mar 31, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; McDonald's All American West guard Mikel Brown Jr. (11) dunks the ball during the Sprite Jam Fest at Barclay's Center. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images Mikel Brown Jr. is the 29th McDonald's All-American in Louisville history. The 6-foot-3 product of DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida, ranks among the top 10 players in the 2025 cycle, regardless of position, on the 247Sports Composite. In February, ESPN had the incoming freshman point guard as a lottery pick in its first 2026 NBA Draft projections. Ryan Conwell Ryan Conwell #7 of the Xavier Musketeers dribbles in the second half of a quarterfinal game against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 13, 2025 in New York City. The Golden Eagles won 89-87. Louisville is Ryan Conwell's fourth school in as many years. The 6-4 rising senior guard from Indianapolis was Xavier's second-best scorer in 2024-25, averaging 16.5 points on 45% shooting en route to third-team All-Big East honors. He led the Musketeers in made 3s (99) and attempts (240), good for a 41.3% clip, and also tallied 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists against 1.6 turnovers and 1.3 steals across 33 minutes per game. Sananda Fru Jan 28, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey gives instruction during a time out during the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Wake Forest 72-59. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images Sananda Fru, a 6-11, 245-pound destroyer of rims, has been playing in Germany's top-flight Basketball Bundesliga since 2021; this year, he's averaging 12.1 points on 66% shooting with 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per appearance. Fru committed to Louisville in February but, at the time of publication, had not yet been announced as a signee. A source close to the program told The Courier Journal that the 21-year-old "should" have two years of collegiate eligibility upon arriving in the 502. J'Vonne Hadley Louisville's guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) makes a shot against Stanford Saturday at KFC Yum! Center. March 8, 2025 Having been granted an additional year of eligibility due to time spent in the junior college ranks, J'Vonne Hadley announced his return for another go-around on April 8. The Minnesota native was the consummate glue guy for Louisville in 2024-25, starting all 35 games, leading the team in rebounding (7.3), finishing fourth in scoring (12.2) and punching above his 6-6 frame defensively. 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 suffered 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 and proceeded to drop 50 pounds with the help of strength coach Eli Foy. He led the Big 12 — and all DI bigs — with a 3.6 assist-turnover ratio as a junior with the Cougars to go along with 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds across 19.4 minutes per game. Isaac McKneely Virginia transfer Isaac McKneely was the only ACC player more accurate than Louisville's Reyne Smith from 3-point range in 2024-25 with a clip of 42.1% (101 for 240). The 6-4 guard led the Cavaliers in scoring with 14.4 points on 43.9% shooting to go along with 2.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds across 34 minutes per contest as a junior. For his career, he's 233 for 552 (42.2%) from beyond the arc. 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 Kasean Pryor waited until the day the portal closed to announce his return to Louisville for the 2025-26 season after a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee cut short his 2024-25 campaign in late November. Across seven appearances, the 6-10 forward averaged 12 points on 36.8% shooting (5 for 33 from 3) with 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks across 23 minutes per. Kobe Rodgers Louisville Cardinals guard Kobe Rodgers (11) makes a pass during practice before the first round of the 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament In Lexington, Kentucky Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Kobe Rodgers joined Khalifa in redshirting this season after suffering a knee injury during Charleston's first-round loss in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. That ended the 6-3 guard from Cincinnati's first campaign with Kelsey; and he finished it averaging 9.7 points on 50% shooting, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals — with 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 DII 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, Khani Rooths, showed flashes of potential throughout the season. The 6-8 forward averaged only 3.3 points on 39.3% shooting and three rebounds across 13.4 minutes per game but threw down some of the most electrifying dunks of the campaign. "The thing that you can 100,000% count on," Kelsey said of the Washington, D.C., native, "is that kid's going to empty the tank every time he takes the floor." Adrian Wooley Feb 15, 2024; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Paul Bryant guard Adrian Wooley (14) shoots in the lane with McAdory forward Jacobe Whitted (2) defending during the 6A Central Regional semifinal game in Bill Harris Arena. Kennesaw State transfer Adrian Wooley, the reigning Conference USA Freshman of the Year, had one of the most productive 2024-25 campaigns of any newcomer across the country. The 6-5 guard from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, finished the regular season ranked fifth among first-year DI players in scoring (18.5), sixth in field-goal percentage (51.3%) and 13th in assists (3.5) — with 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game to boot. Advertisement Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@ and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball transfer portal: Where Pat Kelsey roster stands
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Date set for Louisville vs Kentucky basketball game at KFC Yum! Center. What to know
A date has been set for the annual showdown between Louisville and Kentucky on the basketball court. The archrivals will meet much earlier than in years past: Nov. 11 at the KFC Yum! Center. Tipoff time and TV designation have not yet been determined for the Tuesday night tilt. Advertisement This will be the first time the Cardinals and the Wildcats play in November since the 1993-94 season (Nov. 27) and only the third time since 1983-84 (Nov. 26). UK leads the all-time series, 40-17, and has won the past three meetings; most recently, a 93-85 victory in December at Rupp Arena in Lexington. U of L last won Dec. 26, 2020, at the Yum! Center. Both teams are entering Year 2 under their respective head coaches. Louisville is coming off one of the largest year-to-year turnarounds in Division I history under ACC Coach of the Year Pat Kelsey. The Cards went 27-8, reached the ACC Tournament championship game for the first time since joining the conference in 2014 and ended a March Madness drought dating back to 2019 — falling to Creighton in the first round. Advertisement In Mark Pope's first season at the helm of his alma mater, Kentucky went 24-12 and reached the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope and Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey at the 2024 Battle of the Bluegrass game. Kelsey and Pope's teams, like most during this NCAA transfer portal era, will look a little different this go-around. But they both currently sit among the top 15 of ESPN's way-too-early rankings for 2025-26. Louisville, as of Wednesday morning, was seventh. Kelsey is pairing five scholarship returners from his inaugural season with five newcomers: Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell, Sananda Fru, Isaac McKneely and Adrian Wooley. His incoming class ranks 12th overall on 247Sports. Advertisement Kentucky was 11th on ESPN's rankings and boasted 247Sports' fourth-best incoming class as of Wednesday morning. His nine newcomers include Denzel Aberdeen, Mouhamed Dioubate, Andrija Jelavic, Jasper Johnson, Jaland Lowe, Malachi Moreno, Reece Potter, Jayden Quaintance and Kam Williams. Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@ and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville vs Kentucky basketball game date 2025 schedule
USA Today
03-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Louisville basketball transfer tracker: Pat Kelsey, Cardinals have top-rated portal class
Louisville basketball transfer tracker: Pat Kelsey, Cardinals have top-rated portal class Show Caption Hide Caption UCLA's Lauren Betts reveals her focus on "mental work" ahead of Final Four UCLA Lauren Betts explains how her focus on improving her mental health has contributed to her performance this season. Louisville completed one of the more dramatic turnarounds in recent men's college basketball history last season, when the Cardinals went 27-8 — surpassing their win total from the previous three seasons combined — and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. They may have even more in store for their second season under coach Pat Kelsey. Since getting eliminated by Creighton in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Louisville has been on a tear in the transfer portal, where it has landed several impact players to restock a roster that is losing all-ACC honorees Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr., among others. REQUIRED READING: Final Four reseed: Power rankings of the teams left in March Madness In the past four days, Kelsey has secured commitments from three guards who are ranked among the top 15 players in the portal by 247Sports, giving his team what should be one of the top backcourts in the country next season. In the hours after the Cardinals' early NCAA Tournament exit, reports emerged that they were preparing to spend $8-$10 million in the portal. Now, those efforts are coming into clearer focus as the program aims to get back to the Final Four for the first time since 2013. Here's a closer look at Louisville's work so far in the transfer portal: Louisville transfer portal tracker This week alone, Cardinals have landed three players in the transfer portal: Kennesaw State G Adrian Wooley : Committed March 31 : Committed March 31 Xavier G Ryan Conwell : Committed April 1 : Committed April 1 Virginia G Isaac McKneely: Committed April 3 Each of Louisville's most recent additions is ranked among the top 15 players in 247's ranking of the top available transfers nationally. Wooley is No. 5, Conwell is No. 12 and McKneely is No. 14. If there's a unifying trait between the three players, besides being guards, it's outside shooting. Wooley shot 42.2% from 3-point range last season while earning Conference USA freshman of the year honors. Conwell, who previously starred at Indiana State, shot 41.2% from beyond the arc last season at Xavier, where he was a third-team all-Big East selection. McKneely was the top 3-point shooter in the ACC last season, making 42.1% of his attempts. The three combined to make 273 of their 653 3s last season (41.8%). Each member of the trio projects to be a valuable piece in Kelsey's offense, which prioritizes 3-point shooting. The Cardinals were 20th among Division I teams in 3-point rate last season, according to KenPom. REQUIRED READING: This Final Four isn't the 2008 March Madness party of No. 1 seeds. Here's why Louisville basketball transfer portal ranking With McKneely's commitment, the Cardinals have the top 2025 transfer class, according to 247's updated team rankings. Louisville's points in 247's rankings (34.74) are the most ever for a transfer portal class, though, like many outlets, 247 didn't have comprehensive team and player portal rankings until 2022, shortly after the NCAA allowed players to transfer without the penalty of having to sit out a year. Here's a look at 247's updated team portal rankings: Louisville (3 commits) LSU (3 commits) Iowa (4 commits) St. John's (2 commits) South Carolina (4 commits) Baylor (3 commits) Indiana (2 commits) Michigan (2 commits) Ole Miss (2 commits) Creighton (2 commits) Adrian Wooley stats Wooley averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51.2% from the field and 42.2% from 3-point range for Kennesaw State last season. Ryan Conwell stats Conwell averaged 16.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 45% from the field and 41.2% from 3-point range for Xavier last season. Isaac McKneely stats McKneely averaged 14.4 points, 2.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 43.9% from the field and 42.1% from 3-point range for Virginia last season.
USA Today
23-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USA TODAY Sports columnist calls the ACC a weak basketball conference outside of Duke
USA TODAY Sports columnist calls the ACC a weak basketball conference outside of Duke The ACC is no longer college basketball's premier conference. The ACC used to rule college basketball, with nearly every team from the conference, highlighted by the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils, a threat to make noise in the postseason. On Sunday, March 23 just hours before the 2024-2025 NCAA Tournament's final Round of 32 slate, one thing is clear: the ACC is no longer college basketball's premier conference. The ACC sent just four teams to this year's Big Dance: regular season and ACC Tournament champion Duke, a resurgent, second-place Louisville under first-year head coach Pat Kelsey, a strong Clemson squad and UNC. There's argument North Carolina didn't deserve to make the NCAA Tournament, but a 95-68 victory over San Diego State in the First Four proved otherwise. USA TODAY Sports writer Dan Wolken highlighted how bad the ACC is in men's basketball, with Duke currently the only team holding it afloat. "With just one team of the remaining 32 in the NCAA Tournament, there is no plastering over cracks in the foundation," Wolken said. "After Louisville's decisive loss to Creighton, Clemson's embarrassing crashout against McNeese and North Carolina's failed comeback from 22 points down in the second half against Ole Miss, this cannot be spun." Wolken also points to Louisville keeping the ACC relevant, plus he likes NC State's hiring of Will Wade to make that program relevant once again. The Tar Heels hired Jim Tanner to be their basketball general manager, but if that doesn't pan out, Wolken thinks Hubert Davis won't be in Chapel Hill much longer. I won't be cheering for the Blue Devils in the NCAA Tournament, but Wolken has a point: they need to win in hopes of saving the ACC. The future, at least for next year, is looking bright in Chapel Hill. 5-star power forward Caleb Wilson committed to UNC, choosing the boys in baby blue over rival Kentucky, while talented combo guards Derek Dixon and Isaiah Denis will join the roster. Seth Trimble wants to return and Elliot Cadeau needs another year or two to refine his game, while Ven-Allen Lubin should come back to help anchor the post. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
