Louisville Report

Louisville Men's Basketball Receives Votes in 2024-25 Preseason AP Top 25

The Cardinals are heading into their first season under new head coach Pat Kelsey.

Matthew McGavic

Louisville guard/forward J'Vonne Hadley
Louisville guard/forward J'Vonne Hadley / Nell Redmond/theACC.com
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the 2024-25 men's college basketball season just three weeks away, the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll has finally dropped. While the Louisville men's basketball program will be unranked to start the season, they aren't completely absent from the poll.

The Cardinals garnered four votes in the preseason edition of the AP Top 25, landing in the "others receiving votes" section for a de facto ranking of No. 47.

Not long after the end of Louisville's disastrous 2023-24 campaign, one that ended with an 8-24 record and the dismissal of head coach Kenny Payne, the Cardinals' roster began to flip. All 12 of Louisville's scholarship players entered the portal, with only walk-on guard Aidan McCool in line to return.

Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey was tabbed as the next man to lead Louisville, and he and his staff did a fantastic job of roster construction. They've brought in 12 Division I transfers and one high school prospect, with their transfer portal class ranking No. 1 in the nation according to On3.

Louisville tips off the regular season against Morehead State from the KFC Yum! Center on Monday, Nov. 4.

Full Associated Press Top 25 Poll (2024-25 Preseason)

*Points in parenthesis - first place votes

  1. Kansas (1,449 - 30)
  2. Alabama (1,428 - 14)
  3. UConn (1,345 - 11)
  4. Houston (1,343 - 4)
  5. Iowa State (1,177)
  6. Gonzaga (1,157 - 1)
  7. Duke (1,154)
  8. Baylor (1,109)
  9. North Carolina (1,037)
  10. Arizona (905)
  11. Auburn (901)
  12. Tennessee (775)
  13. Texas A&M (737)
  14. Purdue (678)
  15. Creighton (631)
  16. Arkansas (625)
  17. Indiana (492)
  18. Marquette (484)
  19. Texas (332)
  20. Cincinnati (271)
  21. Florida (249)
  22. UCLA (210)
  23. Kentucky (191)
  24. Ole MIss (132)
  25. Rutgers (102)

Others receiving votes:

Illinois 92, St. John's 91, Xavier 73, Texas Tech 58, Wake Forest 37, Kansas St 30, Michigan St. 29, Ohio St. 29, Michigan 19, BYU 14, Oregon 12, McNeese St. 11, Miami 11, Boise St. 9, Saint Louis 9, Clemson 9, Providence 9, Mississippi St. 6, VCU 6, Wisconsin 5, Saint Mary's 5, Louisville 4, UAB 4, Ark Little Rock 3, Grand Canyon 3, Arizona St 2, San Diego St. 2, Princeton 2, High Point 1, Maryland 1.

(Photo of J'Vonne Hadley: Nell Redmond/theACC.com)

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic

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