2025–26 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

2025–26 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 14
APNo. 16
Record10–2 (0–0 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Brian Kloman
  • Thomas Carr
  • Ronnie Hamilton
  • Mike Cassidy
  • Jermaine Ukaegbu
Home arenaKFC Yum! Center
2025–26 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
California 0 0   12 1   .923
No. 12 North Carolina 0 0   12 1   .923
No. 6 Duke 0 0   11 1   .917
No. 21 Virginia 0 0   11 1   .917
Miami (FL) 0 0   11 2   .846
Virginia Tech 0 0   11 2   .846
No. 16 Louisville 0 0   10 2   .833
SMU 0 0   10 2   .833
Stanford 0 0   10 2   .833
Clemson 0 0   10 3   .769
NC State 0 0   9 4   .692
Notre Dame 0 0   9 4   .692
Syracuse 0 0   9 4   .692
Wake Forest 0 0   9 4   .692
Georgia Tech 0 0   8 4   .667
Pittsburgh 0 0   7 6   .538
Florida State 0 0   7 6   .538
Boston College 0 0   6 6   .500
† 2026 ACC tournament winner
As of December 22, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025–26 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represents the University of Louisville during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team plays its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, Kentucky as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). They are led by second-year head coach Pat Kelsey.

Previous season

The Cardinals finished the 2024–25 season with a record of 27–8, 18–2 in ACC play, finishing in a tie for 2nd place. As the second seed in the 2025 ACC tournament they earned a bye into Quarterfinals where they defeated seventh seed Stanford for the second time in five days. The tournament game was much closer as the Cardinals advanced 75–73.[1] In the Semifinals they defeated third seed and tenth-ranked Clemson 76–73.[2] They lost to first seed and top ranked Duke 73–62 in the final.[3] They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 8 seed, where they lost in the first round to Creighton.[4]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
James Scott 0 C 6'11" 210 Sophomore Fayetteville, NC Transferred to Ole Miss[5]
Koren Johnson 3 G 6'2" 175 Junior Seattle, WA Transferred to Ole Miss[6]
Reyne Smith 6 G 6'2" 190 Senior Ulverstone, Australia Graduated
Patrick Antonelly 12 G 5'11" 170 5th Mount Pleasant, SC Graduated
Frank Anselem-Ibe 13 C 6'10" 220 5th Lagos, Nigeria Graduated
Chucky Hepburn 24 G 6'2" 190 Senior Omaha, NE Graduated and signed two-way NBA contract with the Toronto Raptors[7]
Aidan McCool 33 G 6'3" 170 Graduate Student Charleston, SC Graduated
Noah Waterman 93 F 6'11" 230 6th Savannah, NY Graduated and signed professional overseas deal by the Yamagata Wyverns.[8]

Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Ryan Conwell[9] 3 G 6'4" 215 Senior Indianapolis, IN Xavier
Isaac McKneely[10] 10 G 6'4" 195 Senior Poca, WV Virginia
Adrian Wooley[11] 14 G 6'5" 200 Sophomore Tuscaloosa, AL Kennesaw State

2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Mikel Brown Jr.
#1 PG
Orlando, FL DME Academy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jan 1, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    ESPN:    (95)
Sananda Fru
#36 PF
Berlin, Germany 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Feb 11, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    
Mouhamed Camara
#59 PF
Dakar, Senegal NBA Academy Africa 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) May 19, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    
Vangelis Zougris
C
Peristeri, Greece 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 260 lb (120 kg) May 29, 2025 
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Overall recruit ranking:    247Sports: 25    On3: 38
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Louisville 2025 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  • "2025 Louisville Cardinals Recruiting Class". ESPN. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  • "2025 Louisville 24/7 Sports Commits". 247Sports. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  • "2025 Louisville Cardinals Basketball Industry Comparison Commits". On3. Retrieved October 14, 2025.

Roster

2025–26 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Mikel Brown Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr DME Academy Orlando, FL
G 1 J'Vonne Hadley 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) GS Colorado St. Paul, MN
G 3 Ryan Conwell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Xavier Indianapolis, IN
G 4 Cole Sherman (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Northern Kentucky Louisville, KY
F 7 Kasean Pryor 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS South Florida Chicago, IL
F 9 Khani Rooths 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr IMG Academy Washington, D.C.
G 10 Isaac McKneely 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Virginia Poca, WV
G 11 Kobe Rodgers 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Sr Charleston Cincinnati, OH
F 12 Mouhamed Camara 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr NBA Academy Africa Dakar, Senegal
F/C 13 Sananda Fru 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Berlin, Germany
G 14 Adrian Wooley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Kennesaw State Tuscaloosa, AL
C 15 Aly Khalifa 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Sr BYU Alexandria, Egypt
G 33 Will Hanke (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr St. Xavier High School Louisville, KY
F/C 53 Vangelis Zougris 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Peristeri, Greece
G 55 Spencer Legg (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Charleston Washington, D.C.
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 13, 2025

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 24, 2025*
7:30 p.m., ACCN
No. 11 No. 19 Kansas L 82–90 
 26  Conwell   9  Hadley   3  Khalifa  KFC Yum! Center (15,885)
Louisville, KY
October 28, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+
No. 11 Bucknell
Kentuckiana Friend of V Classic
W 99–76 
 28  Brown Jr.   8  Conwell   6  Brown Jr.  KFC Yum! Center (13,840)
Louisville, KY
Regular season
November 3, 2025*
9:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 11 South Carolina State W 104–45  1–0
 20  Rooths   9  Hadley   6  Brown Jr.  KFC Yum! Center (14,218)
Louisville, KY
November 6, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
No. 11 Jackson State W 106–70  2–0
 19  Conwell   10  Rooths   9  Brown Jr.  KFC Yum! Center (14,412)
Louisville, KY
November 11, 2025*
8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 12 No. 9 Kentucky
Rivalry
W 96–88  3–0
 29  Brown Jr.   8  Hadley   5  Brown Jr.  KFC Yum! Center (22,586)
Louisville, KY
November 15, 2025*
12:00 p.m., The CW
No. 12 Ohio W 106–81  4–0
 22  Conwell   6  Tied   7  Brown Jr.  KFC Yum! Center (14,899)
Louisville, KY
November 21, 2025*
6:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 6 vs. Cincinnati
Rivalry — The Hoops Classic in Partnership with CareSource
W 74–64  5–0
 25  Conwell   5  Tied   6  Brown Jr.  Heritage Bank Center (8,507)
Cincinnati, OH
November 24, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 6 Eastern Michigan W 87–46  6–0
 17  McKneely   8  Rooths   5  Khalifa  KFC Yum! Center (13,832)
Louisville, KY
November 26, 2025*
9:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 6 NJIT W 104–47  7–0
 32  Conwell   9  Tied   7  Brown Jr.  KFC Yum! Center (13,825)
Louisville, KY
December 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 6 at No. 25 Arkansas
ACC–SEC Challenge
L 80–89  7–1
 22  Brown Jr.   8  Fru   4  Conwell  Bud Walton Arena (19,600)
Fayetteville, AR
December 6, 2025*
2:15 p.m., CBS
No. 6 vs. No. 22 Indiana
CareSource Invitational Indianapolis - Supporting Mental Health
W 87–78  8–1
 21  Conwell   7  Fru   3  Tied  Gainbridge Fieldhouse (18,777)
Indianapolis, IN
December 13, 2025*
3:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 11 Memphis
Rivalry
W 99–73  9–1
 17  Conwell   8  Rooths   4  Tied  KFC Yum! Center (16,355)
Louisville, KY
December 16, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 11 at No. 20 Tennessee L 62–83  9–2
 22  Conwell   5  Tied   3  Fru  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
December 20, 2025*
12:00 p.m., ACCN
No. 11 Montana W 94–54  10–2
 18  Fru   8  Fru   6  Khalifa  KFC Yum! Center (14,076)
Louisville, KY
December 30, 2025
9:00 p.m., ACCN
at California       Haas Pavilion 
Berkeley, CA
January 2, 2026
8:00 p.m., ACCN
at Stanford       Maples Pavilion 
Stanford, CA
January 6, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN
Duke       KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
January 10, 2026
12:00 p.m., The CW
Boston College       KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
January 13, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
Virginia       KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
January 17, 2026
8:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
at Pittsburgh       Petersen Events Center 
Pittsburgh, PA
January 24, 2026
3:30 p.m., The CW
Virginia Tech       KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
January 26, 2026
7:00 p.m., ACCN
at Duke       KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
January 31, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
SMU       KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
February 4, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU
Notre Dame       KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
February 7, 2026
12:00 p.m., ACCN
at Wake Forest       LJVM Coliseum 
Winston-Salem, NC
February 9, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN
NC State       KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
February 14, 2026*
4:00 p.m., ESPN
vs. Baylor       Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
February 17, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
at SMU       Moody Coliseum 
University Park, TX
February 21, 2026
2:15 p.m., The CW
Georgia Tech       KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
February 23, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN
at North Carolina       Dean E. Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
February 28, 2026
ESPN/ESPN2
at Clemson       Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
March 3, 2026
9:00 p.m., ACCN
Syracuse       KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
March 7, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN
at Miami       Watsco Center 
Coral Gables
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Schedule Source:[12]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP[13]1112666111116
Coaches101256111114

References

  1. ^ "Louisville basketball rallies vs Stanford in ACC Tournament quarterfinal on buzzer-beater". Courier-Journal. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  2. ^ "Crawford: Louisville holds on to beat Clemson 76–73, gets Duke in ACC title game". WDRB. March 15, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  3. ^ "Duke 73-62 Louisville (Mar 15, 2025)". ESPN. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  4. ^ "Louisville vs. Creighton score, bracket update (March Madness)". Courier-Journal. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  5. ^ McGavic, Matthew (May 7, 2025). "Former Louisville Center James Scott Announces Transfer Destination". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  6. ^ McGavic, Matthew (April 15, 2025). "Former Louisville Guard Koren Johnson Announces Transfer Destination". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  7. ^ James Story, Prince (June 26, 2025). "Chucky Hepburn, ex-Louisville basketball star, agrees to two-way NBA deal with Raptors". Courier Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  8. ^ Santangelo, Luke (August 1, 2025). "Former Louisville forward signs pro deal overseas as basketball journey continues". Big Red Louie. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  9. ^ Holton, Brooks (April 1, 2025). "Ryan Conwell commits to Louisville basketball, Pat Kelsey via transfer portal". Courier Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  10. ^ Rutherford, Mike (April 11, 2025). "Isaac McKneely signs with Louisville". Card Chronicle. SB Nation. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  11. ^ Rutherford, Mike (March 31, 2025). "Louisville lands 5-star transfer guard Adrian Wooley". Card Chronicle. SB Nation. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  12. ^ "2025–2026 Schedule". gocards.com. University of Louisville Athletics. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "AP Top 25 Men's College Basketball Poll". AP News. Retrieved October 14, 2025.