{"id":187455,"date":"2026-04-08T14:54:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T18:54:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=187455"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T18:58:13","slug":"louisville-cardinals-to-host-3-transfers-this-weekend-including-2-top-15-transfers-on-first-day-of-recruiting-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/04\/08\/louisville-cardinals-to-host-3-transfers-this-weekend-including-2-top-15-transfers-on-first-day-of-recruiting-season\/","title":{"rendered":"ACC Program Slated To Host 3 Transfers This Weekend, Including 2 Top-15 Transfers on First Day of Recruiting Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NCAA transfer portal is officially open, but the NCAA recruiting moratorium runs through Thursday night. But once the free-for-all begins, the Louisville Cardinals will look to capitalize on their big opportunity. The Cardinals will host Kansas forward Flory Bidunga<\/a> and Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad<\/a> together on Friday, per Joe Tipton of On3.<\/p>\n

“Louisville<\/a>\u00a0is scheduled to host two of the top transfers in the portal for official visits on Friday, a source told On3,” Tipton said late last nigh<\/a>t. “<\/span>Kansas\u00a0transfer forward\u00a0<\/span>Flory Bidunga\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Oregon\u00a0transfer point guard\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Jackson Shelstad will visit the Cardinals together. This marks the first official visit for both players.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Bidunga, the No. 1-rated player in the On3 transfer portal rankings, announced his intention to enter the “open market” and test the NBA draft waters on Thursday.\u00a0 He is expected to draw significant attention from colleges and be one of the top NIL earners this offseason, as he showed tremendous improvement in his second year at Kansas. The 6-9 sophomore forward is keeping all his options open, including returning to the Jayhawks, as he did last offseason after exploring the portal. He reportedly could get $5 million<\/a> to remain in college next year.<\/p>\n

Louisville Cardinals to Host 2 Big-Time Transfers<\/h2>\n

“Flory Bidunga isn’t just the best player in the portal this year, he’s the 2nd best rated transfer ever at <\/span>EvanMiya.com,” college basketball analytics guru Evan Miya tweeted<\/a>. “The only player to receive a higher transfer rating was Yaxel Lendeborg last year. He turned out to be pretty good.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Bidunga was the consensus No. 18 recruit in 2024. However, he was limited to 17 minutes a game as he was behind Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams Jr. Still, the Republic of the Congo native came into his own this year, earning All-Big 12 first team honors and being named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. He produced 13 double-doubles and averaged 13.3 points on 64% shooting, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks this past season.<\/p>\n

Bidunga is an athletic rim-protector with elite vertical pop and a high motor. While limited offensively, Bidunga is capable of getting points off of lobs, dump-offs, short-rolls, and put-backs. However, the 20-year-old’s real value lies on the defensive end, as he is a mobile rim-deterrent and a strong rebounder. He also excels in drop coverage.<\/p>\n

Texas Tech<\/a>,<\/strong> Duke, <\/strong>Michigan, <\/strong>and St. John\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>are expected to join Louisville as major players in his recruitment. Jeff Erdman of 247Sports has predicted that the Red Raiders will ultimately win out.<\/p>\n

Bob Donnan, Imagn Images<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Jackson Shelstad<\/h3>\n

Shelstad is ranked No. 13 overall among transfers and the third-best point guard in the transfer portal, per On3. Shelstad has been one of the productive high-major scorers over the last three seasons despite a hand injury limiting him to 12 games this past season. The consensus 2023 No. 23 recruit averages 13.6 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.9 rebounds over 79 career games.\u00a0 He also has drained 1.9 threes while compiling shooting splits of 43.9\/35.2\/84.4.<\/p>\n

Despite seeing limited time this past season, Shelstad showed improvement as a playmaker and disruptive defender. He also demonstrated a high-volume three-point ability with 2.8 treys on 8.8 attempts.<\/p>\n

Shelstad is similar to Duck guard Peyton Pritchard, excelling in ball screens and shot creation. Additionally, he has strong hands, which enable him to come up with steals. He also has a visit to Arizona planned on April 14.<\/p>\n

Tyrone Riley IV to Visit Cardinals<\/h3>\n

Tyrone Riley IV<\/a> is expected to visit Louisville on Sunday, according to William McDermott of Cardinals Sports<\/a>. Riley showed an improvement as a scorer in his second season at San Francisco, increasing his scoring production from 9.6 to 12.2 points a game. His biggest jump was as a 3-point shooter, where he made 1.4 treys at 36.8%, up from 32% as a freshman.<\/p>\n

Riley, a top-75-rated transfer, has developed into a high-major prospect with legitimate NBA upside. The 6-6 lefty wing is a rangy, athletic defender who is at his best when getting to the basket and transition. He is a good cutter and can score off the move. A-plus defender, the All-WCC selection also possesses a high motor and has demonstrated to be a solid rebounder. Kentucky and Indiana are also expected to get involved in his recruitment.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

About The Louisville Cardinals<\/h3>\n

Louisville is expected to be highly active in the NCAA transfer portal after showing mild improvement in Pat Kelsey’s<\/a> second season. The Cardinals got off to a hot start but finished with a 23-11 mark, going 11-7 in ACC play. The Cardinals were bounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after being eliminated in the first round in 2025.<\/p>\n

Before this year, Louisville hadn’t reached the NCAA Tournament<\/a> in consecutive seasons since 2013-15. Kelsey, 51-19 with the Cardinals, must replace most of their key players. 6-5 guard Adrian Wooley and Vengelis Zougaris are the only players who haven’t decided on their future. The Cardinals lost six seniors, and freshman sensation Mikel Brown\u00a0 Jr<\/a>. declared for the NBA draft yesterday.<\/p>\n

McDermott, in an earlier Rivals article, said that reserve guard Kaeson Pryor may be granted an eligibility waiver. But his status is currently in the air. Three players have entered the transfer portal: Khani Roots, Sanadra Fru, and Mouhammed Camera have entered the transfer portal,<\/p>\n

Who Are The Cardinals’ Other Targets<\/h4>\n

In yet another McDermott article<\/a>, he listed several other potential targets for the Cardinals. McDermott said that Kelsey is projected to have around $12 million in NIL money. Liberty transfer Brett Decker and Great Britain point guard Quinn Ellis, who is playing professionally in Italy, are also expected to be among the Cardinals’ other top targets, along with a pair of rising sophomores, power forward Tre Singleton (Northwestern) and Wright State point guard Michael Cooper.<\/p>\n