Mar 20, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard Ryan Conwell (7) speaks during an NCAA Tournament First Round Practice press conference at Fiserv Forum. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
The Lousiville Cardinals are one of college basketball's histoic programs.
The school made its first Final 4 appearance in 1959, and has made nine more trips to the national semifinals since then. Lousiville won its first national title in 1980 and has picked up two more since, with the most recent championship coming in 2013.
Since 2015, though, the Cardinals haven't been able to find the same success. After reaching the Elite 8 a decade ago, the group made just two trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2016-2024.
Louisville's last NCAA Tournament appearace was in 2019, until Pat Kelsey and company ended the six-year drought last season.
The Cardinals lost ACC Defensive Player of the Year Chucky Hepburn, who is now on a two-way deal with the Toronto Raptors, but brought in plenty of talent to replace the veteran guard.
Five-star guard Mikel Brown Jr. and four-star German big man Sananda Fru joined Louisville in the 2025 recruiting class, and the Cardinals also added a few talented players in the transfer portal.
Brown has the potential to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming class, but the rest of Kelsey's squad will have to play their way into the draft with strong performances on the court this season.
Here's a look at which incoming Louisville transfer has the best chance to be selected in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Louisville will be Conwell's fourth school in four years after the 6-foot-4 guard spent time at South Florida, Indiana State and, most recently, Xavier.
With the Musketseers, Conwell averaged 16.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 45% from the field and 41.3% from 3-point range on more than seven attempts per game.
After head coach Sean Miller left the Musketeers to take over as the head coach at Texas, Conwell entered the transfer portal and committed to Louisville. If the skilled perimeter shooter can continue to knock down triples at a high rate, he could earn a spot in the second round of the upcoming draft.
McKneely comes to Louisville after three years at Virginia, staying within the ACC.
A former four-star prospect, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 14.4 points, 2.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 43.9% from the field and 42.1% from beyond the arc on 7.5 attempts per game.
Like Conwell, McKneely's shooting prowess should garner attention from NBA teams.
Wooley transferred to Louisville after a big freshman season at Kennesaw State.
The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 51.2% from the field and 42.2% from deep on more than five attempts per game. The former three-star recruit earned Conference USA Rookie of the Year honors for his efforts, and was rated one of the top 10 players in the transfer portal by 247Sports.
Wooley's size, youth, versatility and shooting skill will likely be of intrigue to scouts if the turns in another strong season as a sophomore.