Tuesday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

Shelstad fits that mold.

For most of his career at Oregon, he was known primarily as a shifty combo guard who leaned heavily towards scoring. But last season, before a hand injury shortened his year, there were clear signs of evolution. Shelstad handled the ball more often and his assist numbers jumped dramatically, averaging nearly five per game after never topping 2.8 previously.

The growth was real. And it showed up in the details.

Shelstad’s burst off the dribble allows him to get in the paint, which is where good guards start bending defenses. When that help comes, he’s shown an increased willingness to make the right read — kicking out to shooters or hitting simple drop-offs rather than forcing shots. It’s not flashy playmaking, but it’s the kind of functional decision-making that keeps an offense humming.

That versatility is what makes him particularly intriguing in Louisville’s system.

Shelstad can initiate offense when needed, but he’s just as comfortable playing off the ball. He’s a capable movement shooter who can run off flares and pindowns, catch and fire quickly, and stretch defenses beyond the arc. In transition he fills lanes naturally and can punish defenses that lose track of him.

And historically, the shooting has been real. That version of Shelstad is a dangerous offensive weapon.https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ca4WcXxd6EI?feature=oembed

We know Shelstad is going to make shots. Now, the Cardinals need find enough rim pressure elsewhere in the offense to complement him, because getting downhill and drawing fouls has never been a major part of his game.

But if Louisville gets that from Flory Bidunga and others, Shelstad’s skill set could shine in ways it never fully did at Oregon.

Throw out last year’s chaotic Duck season and the injury-shortened sample. The player Louisville is getting is the one who was excellent as a sophomore and flashed real star potential as a freshman — a dynamic guard with the creativity and shooting ability to stretch defenses in multiple ways.

And in a Pat Kelsey offense that prioritizes pace, spacing, and guard freedom, that kind of player has a chance to become something bigger than what people expect.

—Louisville Report’s Matt McGavic takes another crack at projecting Louisville football’s two-deep for next season.

—The Louisville softball team wrapped up an extremely successful regular season with an 8-3 win over NC State. The Cards and Wolfpack will square off again on Wednesday in the first round of the ACC Tournament, where U of L is the No. 5 seed. Here’s the full tournament bracket.

—Isaac Trotter of CBS breaks down the winners and losers of the college basketball offseason so far.

—Great cut up of Alvaro Folgueiras highlights here:

—ESPN’s Jeff Borzello keeps tabs on all the roster moving and shaking in power five men’s college basketball here.

—Stewart Mandel’s long form story on Indiana winning a national title in football (which still absolutely does not feel real) is the worth the time.

—The Chicago Sky have waived former Louisville standout Hailey Van Lith. HVL saw the court sparingly in her rookie season.

—Louisville sits at No. 4 in David Cobb’s portal power rankings for CBS.

No. 4 Louisville

Last season: 24-11 (11-7 ACC) | NCAA Tournament second round
This season: No. 17 in Gary Parrish’s Top 25 And 1

The Cardinals landed No. 1 overall transfer Flory Bidunga to fix the significant shortcomings of their front court and added top-20 transfer Jackson Shelstad to run the point after his junior season at Oregon got cut short due to a hand injury. Those are the headliners, but wing Karter Knox (Arkansas) and stretch forward Alvaro Fogueiras (Iowa) are high-level role players who will fill in nicely around Shelstad and Bidunga. There are still a few additions to make, but Louisville’s spending spree means the floor on expectations will be the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2015.

—Sports Illustrated’s Tim Capurso has U of L at No. 2 in his portal rankings.

—Adam Finklestein of 247 Sports looks at ($$) how Obinna Ekezie could impact Louisville in 2026-27.

—Perhaps a player to know.

—Former U of L hoops manager Graham Sandefur has been named the new director of basketball operations at East Tennessee State.

—U of L women’s basketball strength and conditioning coach Rhen Vail has been named Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the CSCCa. I don’t know what that means, but it sounds very cool.

—U of L has announced “The 1909 Society” as its latest fan fundraising venture.

—SB Nation’s latest NBA mock draft has Mikel Brown Jr. going 8th overall.

—David Cobb of CBS writes about the heat of Mark Pope’s seat intensifying as rivals Louisville and Tennessee have been thriving this offseason.

Then came the unending series of swings and misses, highlighted most recently by Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2026, committing to Kansas over Kentucky.

At this point, any decent insurance agent surveying the current status of the Pope era at Kentucky might conclude at that it’s a total loss.

Barring the completion of a couple late-cycle Hail Marys, Pope will enter his third season on a scalding seat.

Transfer guards Zoom Diallo (Washington) and Alex Wilkins (Furman) are each top-50 transfers, and Justin McBride (James Madison) projects as a solid role player. But no one currently in the 2026-27 fold at Kentucky is going to sniff preseason All-American status. Assuming he withdraws from this year’s draft, rising sophomore center Malachi Moreno will be the only Wildcat with a shot at appearing on any way-too-early 2027 NBA mock drafts.

At best, Kentucky is one piece away from being a preseason top 25 team. Tennessee, Louisville, Arkansas, BYU and Vanderbilt are already there. The rest of the houses on Kentucky’s block are increasing in value. Meanwhile, Pope’s is in need of a facelift, lest the eviction notice arrive far sooner than anyone could have envisioned.

The guy isn’t getting a fourth year.

—Louisville is No. 15 in Jon Rothstein’s latest offseason rankings.

—Louisville baseball has landed a commitment from John A. Logan Community College standout Jonah Weathers.

—Seems good.

—After a strong season at Southern Illinois, former 7th Region Player of the Year Quel’Ron House (Seneca) has committed to Texas State.

—Another former Louisvillian, Kaden Magwood, is transferring from Auburn to Murray State.

—A little May basketball porn:

—Obinna Ekezie checks in at No. 16 overall in the updated Rivals player rankings for 2026. He is still the No. 1 center in the country.

—We’ve got two home soccer games this weekend.

On Friday night it’s “Mom’s Night Out” for Racing Louisville vs. Portland Thorns. Fans can make a Mother’s Day card on site, and the first 1,000 moms will receive a flower from Aebersold Florist. CC Readers can get discounted tickets here.

And then on Saturday night, it’s Pups at the Pitch for Lou City vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Get discounted tickets here and then bring your dog out to Lynn Family Stadium.

—And finally, beat Vandy.