The weekend in portal hoops

Good morning! Hope you’re ready for plenty of portal news.

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1. Louisville lands two elite portal players

Louisville doesn’t wait around in the transfer portal.

The Cardinals needed about a week to reel in most of their transfer portal additions last year (Ryan Conwell, Adrian Wooley, Isaac McKneely), and did the same thing this season. They landed two of the best players in the 2026 portal on Sunday with big man Flory Bidunga and point guard Jackson Shelstad.

Bidunga, a 6-9 sophomore who was the Big 12 DPOY at Kansas, is viewed by most as the best player in the portal. He’s capable of guarding anywhere on the floor, is an elite rim protector and was one of the most efficient offensive players this season. He’s not a go-to player down low, but should thrive in Louisville’s up-tempo system.

Shelstad, who only played 12 games this season due to injury, was the 18th-best player in the portal by our rankings. The 6-1 junior is a dynamic creator and shot make — he shot 37.9% from the field as a sophomore and was an All-Big Ten selection that season. He’ll also thrive in Louisville’s system.

(One bit of fun: Louisville will play an exhibition game at Kansas next season.)

Don’t expect Louisville to stop here, either. Big man Sananda Fru entered the portal, and will need to replace all but two scholarship players from their 24-11 squad. The Cards also don’t have any incoming freshmen commitments.

But this is quite the start for coach Pat Kelsey, who not only got a floor leader but a player who can finally elevate his defense from good to great.

2. Houston, Iowa St. loading up + more portal moves

The Big 12 will once again be a bear.

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