How Louisville and Kentucky basketball experience compare to recent NCAA Tournament teams
![](/<p>Since the transfer portal opened in October 2018, college basketball’s top teams have skewed older. </p><p>Former U of L and current St. John’s coach <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DGRMp_HSdAu/?img_index=1" target="_blank">Rick Pitino said last month he does not plan to sign any freshmen</a> this recruiting cycle, citing the changing landscape of college basketball. The compounding effects of NIL and the transfer portal remind him of his Euroleague days, where one-year contracts were a common occurrence. He aims to replace experience with experience.</p><p>“We’re not recruiting any high school basketball players,” Pitino said. “Because we’re losing Deivon (Smith), Kadary (Richmond) and Aaron (Smith). You can’t replace them with high school kids.”</p><p>While not quite as extreme, <a href="https://gocards.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/pat-kelsey/2670" target="_blank">Pat Kelsey</a> and <a href="https://ukathletics.com/sports/mbball/roster/coach/mark-pope/" target="_blank">Mark Pope</a> have also modified their recruiting ideologies to reflect this trend. </p><p>They assembled rosters brimming with experience in hopes of immediate postseason success at <a href="https://gocards.com/sports/mens-basketball/" target="_blank">Louisville</a> and <a href="https://ukathletics.com/sports/mbball/" target="_blank">Kentucky</a>. Both squads are <a href="https://kenpom.com/height.php?s=ExpRank" target="_blank">top-10 in KenPom’s 2024-25 experience rankings</a> (U of L No. 5 with a score of 3.17; UK No. 7 with a score of 3.09). In 2023-24, Louisville ranked 307th with a score of 1.07, while Kentucky ranked 196th with a score of 1.76.</p><p>Experience isn’t everything when it comes to making a deep NCAA Tournament run, of course. But it certainly doesn’t hurt. </p><p>Freshmen-led teams haven’t had a ton of success in March over the last decade or so. <a target="_blank" href="https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/basketball/ncaab/teams/duke-blue-devils/1388/">Duke</a> did it in 2015 (and will look to do it again with Cooper Flagg). Kentucky made it happen with Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague in 2012. Since then, COVID-19 super seniors and the transfer portal have changed the way coaches construct their rosters.</p><p>Here’s a look at how Louisville’s and Kentucky’s experienced squads compare with successful NCAA Tournament teams in recent years:</p><h2 class="presto-h2 wp-block-heading">NCAA champions KenPom experience ratings</h2><p>Because the NCAA Tournament was canceled in 2020, no teams from that season are listed below.</p><p><em>Transfer portal era (2019-24)</em></p><ul class="wp-block-list"><li>2018-19 Virginia - 1.74</li><li>2020-21 Baylor - 2.55</li><li>2021-2022 Kansas - 2.10</li><li>2022-23 UConn - 2.25</li><li>2023-24 UConn - 2.43</li></ul><p><em>Pre transfer portal (2014-18)</em></p><ul class="wp-block-list"><li>2013-14 UConn - 2.49</li><li>2014-15 Duke - 1.28</li><li>2015-16 Villanova - 1.96</li><li>2016-17 North Carolina - 1.87</li><li>2017-18 Villanova - 1.80</li></ul><h2 class="presto-h2 wp-block-heading">Sweet 16 experience in transfer portal era compared to U of L, UK</h2><p>Because the NCAA Tournament was canceled in 2020, no teams from that season are listed below. </p><p><em>2019</em></p><ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Tennessee - 2.28 (15th)</li><li>Gonzaga - 2.25 (20th)</li><li><strong>Louisville - 2.18 (29th), eliminated in first round</strong></li><li>Virginia Tech - 2.16 (34th)</li><li>Auburn - 1.97 (65th)</li><li>Florida State - 1.93 (76th)</li><li>Texas Tech - 1.83 (90th)</li><li>Virginia - 1.74 (107th)*</li><li>Michigan State - 1.70 (119th)</li><li>North Carolina - 1.65 (127th)</li><li>Houston - 1.56 (151st)</li><li>Oregon - 1.54 (158th)</li><li>Purdue - 1.49 (176th)</li><li>Michigan - 1.13 (265th)</li><li><strong>Kentucky - 1.03 (298th), eliminated in Elite Eight</strong></li><li>LSU - 0.99 (303rd)</li><li>Duke - 0.33 (351st)</li></ul><p>*NCAA champion</p><p><em>2021</em></p><ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Creighton - 2.60 (5th)</li><li>Baylor - 2.55 (7th)*</li><li>Michigan - 2.44 (12th)</li><li>Oregon - 2.42 (13th)</li><li>Loyola Chicago - 2.26 (25th)</li><li>Villanova - 2.09 (50th)</li><li>Arkansas - 2.01 (70th)</li><li>Gonzaga - 1.97 (75th)</li><li>Alabama - 1.97 (77th)</li><li>Southern Cal - 1.95 (80th)</li><li>Houston - 1.95 (81st)</li><li>Syracuse - 1.92 (86th)</li><li>Oregon State - 1.86 (97th)</li><li>UCLA - 1.56 (179th)</li><li><strong>Louisville - 1.42 (214th), did not make NCAA Tournament</strong></li><li>Florida State - 1.39 (219th)</li><li>Oral Roberts - 1.27 (245th)</li><li><strong>Kentucky - 1.19 (264th), did not make NCAA Tournament</strong></li></ul><p>*NCAA champion</p><p><em>2022</em></p><ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Providence - 2.75 (7th)</li><li>Texas Tech - 2.48 (34th)</li><li>Villanova - 2.42 (48th)</li><li>Arkansas - 2.32 (70th)</li><li>Houston - 2.25 (87th)</li><li>Iowa State - 2.21 (95th)</li><li>UCLA - 2.21 (96th)</li><li><strong>Louisville - 2.17 (107th), did not make NCAA Tournament</strong></li><li>Kansas - 2.10 (128th)*</li><li>Miami - 2.03 (147th)</li><li>Saint Peter’s - 1.89 (176th)</li><li><strong>Kentucky - 1.87 (186th), eliminated in first round</strong></li><li>Purdue - 1.78 (209th)</li><li>North Carolina - 1.76 (212th)</li><li>Gonzaga - 1.57 (259th)</li><li>Michigan - 1.40 (296th)</li><li>Arizona - 1.34 (306th)</li><li>Duke - 0.96 (347th)</li></ul><p>*NCAA champion</p><p><em>2023</em></p><ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Texas - 3.36 (6th)</li><li>Xavier - 2.99 (16th)</li><li>San Diego State - 2.96 (21st)</li><li>Miami - 2.90 (27th)</li><li>Kansas State - 2.81 (30th)</li><li>Gonzaga - 2.64 (44th)</li><li>UCLA - 2.29 (106th)</li><li>UConn - 2.25 (113th)*</li><li><strong>Kentucky - 2.23 (118th), eliminated in second round</strong></li><li>Tennessee - 2.19 (131st)</li><li>Michigan State - 2.14 (138th)</li><li>Florida Atlantic - 2.09 (148th)</li><li>Creighton - 2.05 (155th)</li><li>Alabama - 1.54 (257th)</li><li>Houston - 1.54 (258th)</li><li>Arkansas - 1.52 (263rd)</li><li>Princeton - 1.13 (312th)</li><li><strong>Louisville - 0.90 (336th), did not make NCAA Tournament</strong></li></ul><p>*NCAA champion</p><p><em>2024</em></p><ul class="wp-block-list"><li>North Carolina - 3.23 (6th)</li><li>Creighton - 3.16 (8th)</li><li>Illinois - 3.11 (11th)</li><li>N.C. State - 3.05 (14th)</li><li>Clemson - 2.81 (25th)</li><li>Tennessee - 2.76 (29th)</li><li>San Diego State - 2.57 (44th)</li><li>Alabama - 2.49 (60th)</li><li>Purdue - 2.44 (67th)</li><li>UConn - 2.43 (68th)*</li><li>Arizona - 2.36 (81st)</li><li>Houston - 2.27 (92nd)</li><li>Iowa State - 2.11 (123rd)</li><li>Gonzaga - 2.06 (131st)</li><li>Marquette - 2.04 (137th)</li><li><strong>Kentucky - 1.76 (196th), eliminated in first round</strong></li><li>Duke - 1.76 (197th)</li><li><strong>Louisville - 1.07 (307th), did not make NCAA Tournament</strong></li></ul><p>*NCAA champion</p><p>Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com, and follow her on X @petitus25.</p><p></p><div class="oembed-frame"></div><p><em>This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: <a href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2025/03/17/ncaa-tournament-transfer-portal-final-four-louisville-basketball-roster-kentucky-wildcats/79440498007/">Louisville basketball, Kentucky: NCAA Tournament transfer portal era</a></em></p>)
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