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Mar 19, 2026; Buffalo, NY, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey reacts during the first half against the South Florida Bulls during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
For the second straight year, Pat Kelsey has made an immediate splash in the transfer portal by landing commitments from Kansas F/C Flory Bidunga and Oregon PG Jackson Shelstad. Bidunga has been regarded as the top player in the portal up to this point, while Shelstad has been ranked inside the top-10 in some rankings. The pair were in town this weekend for a visit, and Kelsey and his remodeled staff were able to lock them up before they left campus.
Bidunga (6-9/220) will fill an immediate need for the Cards as they struggled this year to have a consistent presence in the paint on the defensive side of the ball. He led the Big 12 in blocked shots with 2.6 per game to go along with 9 rebounds and 13.3 points on 64% shooting from the field. Bidunga is a high-level athlete who plays above the rim and also runs the floor well. He should fit well in pick-and-roll situations while also giving the Cards a player who can play in the post.
Kelsey’s system is very dependent on the point guard position, so it was critical for him to go out and get a guy who could lead his revamped roster. Shelsted (6-0/170) missed most of the season with a hand injury, but his 15.6 points per game and 4.9 assists were both on pace to beat his career highs for a season. The senior lead guard is known as a scorer, but he might be an upgrade on defense from Mikel Brown, who struggled in that area at times last year. Shelstad is a career 35% three point shooter, but he doesn’t take the amount of threes we’ve seen from UofL guards this season. It will be interesting to see if his game adjusts to Kelsey’s system, or if we see him continue to be a player who gets downhill and looks to score at the basket.
Louisville has five players on the roster at this point, so we will see plenty more action in the portal. However, the staff has started as strongly as one could hope for. Landing the top big man in the portal when that was the clear weakness of the team last year is the exact thing Kelsey needed to do after a disappointing season. He has a chance to show the fanbase that he can adapt and adjust, and the remaining additions to the roster will be fascinating to keep up with.
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