Through Oct. 31, Sports Illustrated will count down its preseason college basketball Top 25 with overviews of each team. Here are the full rankings so far.
Even in an era where it’s easier than ever to rebuild quickly, we shouldn’t overlook just how rapidly Pat Kelsey made Louisville basketball relevant again. He inherited a dumpster fire from Kenny Payne, who won a combined 12 games in two seasons … and in Year 1 won 27 games, went 18–2 in the ACC and got back to the NCAA tournament. The next step is NCAA tournament success, but the fact we’re even talking about a potential deep March Madness run this soon after the program appeared in disarray says everything about the job Kelsey has done. The city of Louisville is buzzing about its basketball team again, the roster is significantly more talented than it was last season and it’s not unrealistic to expect the Cards to seriously contend with the best of the best in the country.
