Yo, check this—University of Louisville men’s basketball head coach Pat Kelsey just got tapped for the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Watch List, word dropped Friday from the Naismith Awards crew. Man’s out here makin’ moves!
No. 25/22 Louisville, sittin’ pretty at 20-6 and 13-2 in the ACC, is straight up one of the most improved squads in the game from last year to now. Cards jumped 179 spots in the NET since the end of the 2023-24 season up to February 20, 2025—that’s the third-biggest glow-up in Division I and the fattest jump of any Power Four squad. We talkin’ resurrection vibes!
They’ve already stacked 12 more dubs this season than last, hittin’ 20 wins after cookin’ Notre Dame on Sunday. That 12-win leap ties ‘em with Michigan, Missouri, and New Mexico State for the most in DI through February 19 games—Kelsey’s got the squad on fire.
Peep this: ACC Preseason Poll had ‘em at ninth, but right now, with five games left, they’re tied for second in the league and already locked in a bye for the ACC Tournament. Nobody saw this comin’, fam!
Kelsey built this roster from the ground up—12 of his 13 scholarship players snatched from the transfer portal, plus one fresh-faced freshman. Man’s a chef with the roster remix! And they’ve had some rough hits too—two season-endin’ injuries and two more bangin’ up starters for big chunks of games. Still, they out here ballin’.
Cards are 8-2 on the road with just one away game left—road warriors! They’re 4-4 in Quad 1 matchups, holdin’ it down against the big dogs.
Louisville’s chasin’ history too. Biggest turnaround in their 111-year run? They’ve jumped 13 wins season-to-season twice before—‘84-85 to ‘85-86, and ‘03-04 to ‘04-05. In ‘86, that 32-win season snagged a National Championship; in ‘05, 33 wins took ‘em to the Final Four. Kelsey’s got ‘em on that kind of trajectory, fam—2025 lookin’ like it could be legendary!
So yeah, Coach Kelsey’s out here cuttin’ up the ACC, turnin’ heads, and landin’ on that Naismith Watch List. Man’s got the clippers hummin’—y’all think he’s takin’ this all the way? Talk to me!
