LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With the 2024-25 season just three weeks away, various preseason polls, lists and rankings are starting to trickle out all across the collegiate basketball landscape.
One of which is the KenPom predictive ratings system, regarded as among the more trusted statistical models in the sport. On Monday, the 2024-25 preseason KenPom ratings were released.
There have been a wide variety of opinions on how good Louisville will be in year one of the Pat Kelsey era, ranging from ACC title contender to fringe NCAA Tournament team, and their initial KenPom ranking reflects that. The Cardinals debut as the No. 64 team in college basketball with an adjusted efficiency margin of +12.32.
Louisville’s offensive and defensive preseason splits are relatively even. Their offensive efficiency of 106.7 comes in as the 63rd-best in Division I, whereas their defensive efficiency of 94.4 sits at 73rd.
The Cardinals currently projected to go 16-13 (not accounting for their final two Battle 4 Atlantis games, which have undetermined opponents) over the course of the regular season, and 10-10 in conference play.
Louisville starts the season as the No. 8 team in the ACC, according to KenPom. Duke claims the top preseason spot in the ACC, with North Carolina, Clemson, Pitt and Wake Forest rounding out the top five in the league. Houston, Duke, Auburn, Alabama and UConn consist of the top five nationally.
Not long after the end of Louisville’s disastrous 2023-24 campaign, one that ended in the dismissal of head coach Kenny Payne, the Cardinals’ roster began to flip. All 12 of Louisville’s scholarship players entered the portal, with only walk-on guard Aidan McCool in line to return.
In the weeks after his hiring on Mar. 28, new head coach Pat Kelsey and his staff did a fantastic job of roster construction. They’ve brought in 12 Division I transfers and one high school prospect, with their transfer portal class ranking No. 1 in the nation according to On3.
Louisville tips off the regular season against Bellarmine from the KFC Yum! Center on Monday, Nov. 4.
(Photo of Chucky Hepburn, J’Vonne Hadley: Nell Redmond/theACC.com)
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