Pat Kelsey of Louisville is building up his future frontcourt…

Pat Kelsey of Louisville is adding a German big man to his future frontcourt.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Pat Kelsey, the men’s basketball coach at the University of Louisville, is working hard to make sure that the team’s biggest turnaround this season ends in a great way. But the roster for next season is still being put together.

Sananda Fru, a 6-foot-11-inch, 245-pound centre from Germany, is the newest pledge. He gives the team even more size, which it should have in plenty next season. Teams that keep Ali Khalifa, Kasean Pryor, Khani Rooths, and James Scott will need a lot of legroom on trips.

Fru is a player for a team in Germany’s top professional league. He can handle the ball well and score well around the basket. He’s also good at pick-and-rolls. This season, he has started 17 Bundesliga games for Braunschweig and averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocked shots per game while hitting 75% from the field. Fru is 21 years old, so he should be able to play for two seasons after he gets there.

The news of the pledge was first broken by Jeff Goodman of Field of 68.

He’s Kelsey’s second addition to next year’s class. Last month, he added five-star point guard Mikel Brown.

Five-star forward Nate Ament is also a target. He is visiting Kentucky for its game against Tennessee on Tuesday night in Rupp Arena, but Louisville and Duke are usually seen as the favourites to get him.

If the NCAA’s rules on junior college status stay the same, Louisville might be able to keep the good vibes going strong with a strong group of possible returnees, a highly rated point guard, more strength in the post, and maybe even the return of J’Vonne Hadley.

UNC’s Kelly, Louisville’s Roberts get ACC wbb weekly honours

Charlotte, North Carolina (TheACC.com) -Reniya Kelly, a sophomore guard at North Carolina, has been awarded the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, while Louisville guard Tajianna Roberts has been selected Rookie of the Week for games played between February 10 and February 16.

The Blue Ribbon Panel of the ACC women’s basketball conference votes on the weekly awards.

Kelly began last week averaging only 9.1 points per game, but he finished the two-game stretch as the first Tar Heel to achieve back-to-back 20-point outings this season. The Hoover, Alabama native began the week with 20 points on 7-for-14 (50.0 percent) shooting from the field, including a 2-for-2 mark from 3-point range and a 4-for-4 tally from the free throw line, as she guided UNC to a 67-62 victory over Virginia Tech. Kelly scored a career-high 23 points and made five three-pointers in North Carolina’s 66-65 victory over No. 10 NC State on Sunday (February 16).

Roberts, who has received five ACC Rookie of the Week awards this season, had her first collegiate double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in a road victory against No. 23 Florida State. The San Diego, California native went 6-for-14 from the field, including three triples, and also shone defensively, collecting nine defensive boards and stealing two steals as the Cardinals kept the Seminoles to 69 points, their lowest total of the season. Roberts was the ACC’s lone freshman to record a double-double last week.

The newest Associated Press (AP) Top 25 Poll has five ACC teams, with Notre Dame rising to the top spot for the first time this season. North Carolina and Duke both climbed the poll, with the Tar Heels moving up three positions to No. 9 and the Blue Devils rising two spots to No. 11. NC State is ranked 13th, Georgia Tech is 20th, while California, Florida State, and Louisville are all receiving votes.

The ACC Women’s Basketball action continues Monday evening, February 17, with top-ranked Notre Dame hosting No. 11 Duke at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Fighting Irish are the first ACC club to be rated number one since Louisville on January 18, 2021.

2024-25 ACC Player of the Week honours.
November 11: Olivia Miles, Jr., G, Notre Dame
November 18 – Makayla Timpson, Senior, F, Florida State; Hannah Hidalgo, So., G, Notre Dame
Nov. 25: Hannah Hidalgo, So., G, Notre Dame
December 2: Reigan Richardson, Sr., G, Duke; December 9: Ta’Niya Latson, Jr., G, Florida State.
December 16: Hannah Hidalgo, So., G, Notre Dame
Dec. 23: Haley Cavinder, Gr., G, Miami
December 30: Olivia Miles, Jr., G, Notre Dame
Jan. 6: Ta’Niya Latson, Jr., G, Florida State
Jan. 13: Rose Micheaux, Sr., F, Virginia Tech
Jan. 20: Ta’Niya Latson, Jr., G, Florida State
Jan. 27: Ta’Niya Latson, Jr., G, Florida State
Feb. 3: Hannah Hidalgo, So., G, Notre Dame
Feb. 10: Aziaha James, Sr., G, NC State
February 17: Reniya Kelly, So., G, North Carolina

2024-25 ACC Rookie of the Week Award
Nov. 11: Tajianna Roberts, G, Louisville
November 18: Dani Carnegie, G, Georgia Tech; Kate Koval, F, Notre Dame.
November 25: Toby Fournier, F, Duke
Dec. 2: Tajianna Roberts, G, Louisville
Dec. 9: Toby Fournier, F, Duke
Dec. 16: Dani Carnegie, G, Georgia Tech
Dec. 23: Dani Carnegie, G, Georgia Tech
Dec. 30: Dani Carnegie, G, Georgia Tech
January 6 – Dani Carnegie, Georgia Tech
Jan. 13: Tajianna Roberts, G, Louisville
Jan. 20: Toby Fournier, F, Duke
Jan. 27: Toby Fournier, F, Duke
Feb. 3: Tajianna Roberts, G, Louisville
Feb. 10: Toby Fournier, F, Duke
Feb. 17: Tajianna Roberts, G, Louisville

Where does Louisville basketball rank in the revised AP Top 25 and the new USA TODAY Coaches Poll?

After a two-week vacation, Louisville basketball returned to the top-25 rankings on Monday.

Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals (20-6, 13-2 ACC) ranked 25th in the new AP Top 25 and 22nd in the newest USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

The University of Louisville has won four consecutive double-digit games, three by 15 points or more on the road, including a 75-60 triumph against Notre Dame on Sunday. With that, the Cards secured not only the program’s first 20-win season since 2019-20, but also a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament next month.

What’s Next for Louisville Basketball?

On Sunday, February 16, 2025, at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Notre Dame guard Braeden Shrewsberry (centre) guards Louisville guard J’Vonne Hadley (1) during an NCAA men’s basketball game.

The Cards’ next game is at noon on Saturday against Florida State (15-10, 6-8) at the KFC Yum! Centre. They’ve already beaten the Seminoles once, and their 10-game winning run began on December 21 in Tallahassee.KenPom.com predicts an 88% likelihood of victory and a final score of 81-68 in their favour.

FSU hosts Miami on Wednesday before heading to the 502.

Louisville’s NCAA Tournament resume

On February 16, 2025, during an NCAA men’s basketball game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Louisville guards J’Vonne Hadley (1), Reyne Smith (centre), and Chucky Hepburn (24) celebrate going into a timeout.

U of L started the week ranked 27th in the NET.

As of Monday, the standings were 4-4 in Quad 1 games, 7-2 in Quad 2, 4-0 in Quad 3, and 5-0 in Quad 4 games.

The Cardinals were ranked 24th in Wins Above Bubble (2.89), which measures how much better a club is than teams on the verge of making or missing the NCAA Tournament cut.

Louisville Basketball Bracketology Projections

On February 16, 2025, during an NCAA men’s basketball game at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Notre Dame player Sir Mohammed was fouled by Louisville forward James Scott (0).

As of Monday morning, Louisville was ranked as the top No. 7 seed (7.03) on The Bracket Project’s Matrix.

Here’s who — and where — a few prognosticators believe the Cards will play in March Madness:

USA TODAY: No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt in Milwaukee (Midwest area).

CBS Sports: No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt in Milwaukee (Midwest Region).

ESPN: No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 West Virginia in Cleveland (East Region).

Sports Illustrated: No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Nebraska (Midwest Region)

Brooks Holton, a Louisville men’s basketball reporter, may be reached at bholton@gannett.com and followed on X at @brooksHolton.

Pat Kelsey’s magic ignites Louisville basketball’s remarkable journey from ashes to glory

Louisville basketball recently achieved a significant milestone with last night’s victory, and Cardinals supporters are excited to see where this team is headed.

Louisville’s basketball comeback this season has astonished the nation and might become the 2024-2025 news of the year.

Under Kenny Payne’s two years at UofL, the Cardinals went 12-52, including 8-24 last season and 4-28 the year before. Payne was let go by Louisville and replaced by Pat Kelsey, the current head coach.

Pat Kelsey arrived to Louisville with a strong resume, and his name quickly spread throughout Cardinals Nation after bringing in 13 transfers in the winter. Louisville basketball is on track to win 20 games this season, marking the first time since 2020.

Pat Kelsey is doing miracles with Chucky Hepurn and the Cardinals, and the stats and results are showing. Louisville basketball achieved a significant milestone with last night’s triumph, and supporters are optimistic about the program’s future.

Pat Kelsey’s wizardry ignites Louisville basketball’s unprecedented surge.

Louisville’s strong win against North Carolina State last night was the Cardinals’ 12th win, meaning this UofL club has already won more ACC games this season than the previous three seasons combined.

Pat Kelsey has had an instant effect on Louisville’s basketball team, which was last in the ACC last year with an ugly 3-17 record in conference play and 8-24 overall. The Cardinals were even worse the previous year with a 2-18 record in the ACC and 4-28 overall. Their 2021-2022 season was not much better, going 6-14 in the ACC and 13-19 overall, thus this win last night surpassed their total victories in the ACC over the previous three seasons combined.

UofL had gone 11-49 in the previous three seasons, but Pat Kelsey came in and dramatically transformed the program, bringing Louisville basketball to 12-2 in the ACC. The Cardinals are aiming for their most ACC victories since the 2019-2020 season, when they finished 15-5 in the conference and 24-7 overall.

The Cardinals’ 12 wins in the ACC this season tie for the second-most in program history. Louisville only has to win four of their last six games to break the record. Louisville’s final six opponents have a combined ACC record of 35-45. Jay Williams projected Louisville would win out, breaking the program record and finishing 18-2 in the ACC.

This Cardinals club isn’t just winning games; they’re destroying their opponents, having won by a total of 326 points, or 17.7 points per game, and scoring an average of 79 points per game.

Louisville will aim to make history by winning their 13th ACC game on Saturday, Feb. 5 against Notre Dame.