"Louisville might be next best thing after Duke": Jay Williams makes bold prediction for Pat Kelsey's team before March Madness
Pat Kelsey and the No. 21 Louisville Cardinals have surprised people in the 2024-25 season. This led a college basketball analyst to believe they could compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
On ESPN's "College GameDay" on Saturday, Jay Williams predicted Louisville, which was on a 10-game winning streak (after a rough patch of four losses in five games – three to ranked teams), would not lose a game in the next month.
"I think that Louisville was going to be undefeated until we get to March 1," Williams said (Timestamp: 1:13). "When you look at their schedule, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Miami, NC State, Notre Dame, FSU, Virginia Tech, obviously, there are really good opponents there, but I think this Louisville team is still an underrated team."
"And in the conference that's looking to find multiple bids to get into the NCAA Tournament, we'll see if they can get five. I think Louisville might be the next best thing after Duke basketball."
However, Williams’ bold take didn’t last a day. Louisville fell 77-70 at Georgia Tech (10-12, 4-7) on Saturday.
How Pat Kelsey has succeeded with Louisville so far
Jay Williams had his reasons for the prediction, which seemed justified given Louisville's performance in their first year under Pat Kelsey.
Having taken over the reins after leading Charleston to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in three seasons, Kelsey brought Louisville back into the national spotlight.
The Cardinals are averaging 78.6 points on 43.7% shooting from the field and 31.8% from beyond the arc, beating opponents by a margin of 9.0 ppg. They are grabbing 38.2 rebounds while limiting their turnovers to 11.1 per contest.
Five players are averaging double-digits in the offense. Among the five, Chucky Hepburn stands out with 15.1 points, 6.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals. Reyne Smith is the team's best 3-point shooter with 83 made triples, while Terrence Edwards Jr. provides 13.9 ppg and 3.8 rpg.
Pat Kelsey and the No. 21 Cardinals will prepare for their next matchup at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Boston College Eagles (10-11, 2-8).