CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WDRB) \u2014 Louisville men\u2019s basketball enters the ACC Tipoff with expectations unlike any in recent years \u2014 a returning core, veteran transfers, and a coach who has leaned into high-profile matchups like a man trying to sharpen steel with fire. But with those expectations come questions.<\/p>\n
As Louisville prepares to meet the media on Wednesday morning in uptown Charlotte, here are five questions:<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0How ready is Mikel Brown to run the show?<\/p>\n
Freshman point guard Mikel Brown arrives as one of the most touted newcomers in college basketball, but Kelsey isn\u2019t crowning him yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got old dudes around him,\u201d Kelsey said. \u201cThat gives him some cushion.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Louisville staff will ask Brown to steer a team with ACC title aspirations. The mental reps he gained playing for Team USA are a good start. Now, the game gets real.<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0Can the Cards make depth their strength \u2014 and keep everyone happy?<\/p>\n
This team may be deeper than last year\u2019s \u2014 which is saying something.<\/p>\n
Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely, Adrian \u201cAce\u201d Wooley and Kobe Rogers all bring starting-caliber guard skills.<\/p>\n
Ali Khalifa and Kasean Pryor bolster a skilled frontcourt.<\/p>\n
\u201cDepth has to be a weapon,\u201d Kelsey said.<\/p>\n
But in an era of ego and opportunity, managing minutes will matter just as much as making shots.<\/p>\n
3.\u00a0Will Khalifa and Fru give U of L a different kind of dominance?<\/p>\n
Kelsey calls Khalifa \u201cone of the top five passing bigs in the world.\u201d That\u2019s not hyperbole. Mikel Brown compared him to Nilkola Jokic. That might be hyperbole.<\/p>\n
Either way, the 7-footer changes how Louisville can run offense. Add in German pro import Sananda Fru (6-11, 7-4 wingspan), and the Cards have not only size, but serious skill.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Expect Louisville to play through the post \u2014 just not in a way much of college basketball is used to seeing. Cardinals\u2019 fans got a taste last season in James Scott. This year, it could get the main course.<\/p>\n
4.\u00a0Is Louisville ready for \u201cthe smoke\u201d?<\/p>\n
Tough scheduling is one thing. And then there\u2019s Louisville\u2019s non-conference schedule this season.<\/p>\n
In the non-conference: Kansas (exhibition), Kentucky, Indiana, Memphis, Cincinnati, Arkansas, Tennessee, Baylor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t duck the smoke,\u201d Kelsey said. \u201cYou can\u2019t sharpen your teeth eating oatmeal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Will all that forge toughness, or frustration?<\/p>\n
5.\u00a0What does success look like \u2014\u00a0really\u00a0\u2014 in Year 2?<\/p>\n
The Field of 68 ranked Louisville No. 6 in its recent preseason projections. The Final Four talk is already out there.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody told me they booked a hotel,\u201d Kelsey said.<\/p>\n
But the coach is staying planted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe stack good days,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Louisville was an 8-seed last season. Kelsey says the goal is to position better this time. That means handling hype, fighting for an ACC title, and building a seed line worthy of this roster’s ceiling.<\/p>\n
Everything gets rolling in Charlotte Wednesday morning. Follow coverage online<\/a> and on WDRB News throughout the day.<\/p>\n Kelsey, Conwell and J\u2019Vonne Hadley are scheduled to meet the media at 9:15 a.m., with the press conference available on the ACC Network.\u00a0<\/p>\n Quick Sips<\/p>\n LOUISVILLE KINGS: Louisville is jumping into the pro football business. The UFL announced that it will bring a team to Lynn Family Stadium next season. The Louisville Kings will begin play in the spring. League co-owner Mike Repole, Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg and others will talk about the move Wednesday in a news conference in Louisville. Read about it here.<\/a><\/p>\n WOMEN AT THE MIC: Jeff Walz and the Louisville women’s basketball team made the media day rounds in Charlotte on Tuesday. See what the coach and players Tajianna Roberts and Laura Ziegler had to say about the new edition of the team by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Last Drop<\/p>\n “I did not get one call, one text. I had no idea that it was actually National Coaches Day. … You might want to put that in your calendars for next year.”<\/p>\n — Louisville women’s coach Jeff Walz, to Roberts and Ziegler, after being told that Monday was “National Coaches’ Day.”<\/p>\n More Sports Coverage:<\/p>\n Older, louder, faster: Louisville women bring confidence and global mileage into new season<\/a><\/p>\n