There are some coaches who simply have a knack for closing in the portal - and it’s fair to put Louisville’s Pat Kelsey at the top of the list.

The Cardinals hosted a pair of portal stars this weekend - Kansas forward Flory Bidunga and Oregon star guard Jackson Shelstad - and landed them both, in a stunning Sunday portal haul.

Kansas forward Flory Bidunga and Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad are your newest Louisville Cardinals.

Put simply, this is one of the great one-day portal hauls we’ve ever seen, as Louisville has the foundation of a Final Four team in 2026-2027.

Bidunga was and is arguably the best player in the portal, after averaging 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, earning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Considering that Bidunga was expected to visit Duke on Sunday, the fact that Kelsey was able to close this down is one of the more impressive portal moves we’ve seen in a while.

Then there’s Shelstad, an elite guard who was unfortunately limited to just 12 games this season because of injury. In his short time on the court though, he averaged 15.6 points per game and nearly five assists per game for the Ducks in 2025-2026.

The crazy part: The Cards clearly aren’t done yet. Look for Kelsey to add plenty of shooting around his star big man and point guard

It doesn’t feel hyperbolic to say that this could be a make-or-break week for Mark Pope and his future at Kentucky.

The Wildcats are coming off a disappointing 22-14 season and with just four players locked in for 2026-2027 (including center Malachi Moreno who is also testing the NBA Draft waters), the Wildcats desperately need some star power for next year’s roster.

The good news is, Mark Pope will have a chance to bring in exactly that, with two marquee players visiting in the coming days.

The first, is BYU guard Robert Wright III.

Wright averaged over 18 points and nearly five assists per game for the Cougars this season. He’s arguably the top guard still available, and according to CBS’s Jon Rothstein will visit Lexington on Monday. As Aaron Torres said on his show Sunday (listen below) it feels like if the right NIL demand is met, Wright may be a Wildcat sooner rather than later.

Then there is the long, drawn out fascinating recruitment of five-star high school megastar Tyran Stokes.

Originally from Louisville, Stokes is the No. 1 high school player in America, one who has had a long, drawn out recruitment. For weeks its seemingly been down to Kentucky and Kansas, with Kansas seen by many insiders as the favorite.

But with Stokes visiting campus, could Mark Pope close on the No. 1 player in America?!

We’ll find out soon, in a week that could define the Pope era going forward.

There was plenty more news across college hoops this weekend, as commitments flew off the board fast and furious

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