Duke and Louisville are widely viewed as the top two teams in the ACC heading into the 2025-26 college basketball season. Pat Kelsey has done as good a job as he possibly could have turning that program around after the torment it went through in the Kenny Payne era. However, Kelsey may have crossed the line with this recent claim. Louisville landed 5-star point guard Mikel Brown Jr., the No. 1 point guard in the 2025 class per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Brown is expected to be one of the most prolific rookie guards in the sport next season, but that claim still doesn't hold true regardless.
Pat Kelsey says Louisville is "Point Guard U"
In a recent interview with the Field of 68, Kelsey discussed landing such a talented young guard in Brown. However, this claim will shock Duke fans.
"Mikel picked Point Guard U. In my opinion, He picked Point Guard U...I think in the modern basketball era, Louisville is Point Guard U."
ICYMI: “Mikel Brown picked Point Guard U. I think in the modern basketball era, Louisville is Point Guard U” - Pat Kelsey
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) September 15, 2025
FULL INTERVIEW ⬇️https://t.co/3bS3ySnT0N pic.twitter.com/fVLJMaubfk
Now, Louisville has had its fair share of elite point guards over the years, but it's hard to say the Blue Devils haven't bettered it. Starting from 2000, Duke has brought in a plethora of elite guards, and in many of those seasons, that turned into National Championships.
For Louisville, names like Peyton Siva, Donovan Mitchell, Edgar Sosa, and Reece Gaines come to mind. There have been several star guards to come through the Louisville program, but especially as of late, the Blue Devils are just better.
JJ Redick, Tyus Jones, Quinn Cook, Nolan Smith, Jeremy Roach, Tre Jones, Chris Duhon, Jay Williams, Kyrie Irving, just to name a few. Not to mention, six Duke point guards have been drafted into the NBA since 2000, while Louisville has just had one.
This season, both Scheyer and Kelsey have an elite guard duo. With Brown at the point, Kelsey can do a ton with that lineup in terms of surrounding him with shooters. Adrian Wooley or Isaac McKneely will likely start at the two, but Louisville will have three shooters on the floor a lot of the time.
Caleb Foster is in a make-or-break season with the Blue Devils as a junior, and Isaiah Evans has a chance to be one of the best two-guards in college basketball. Add in elite freshmen like Cayden Boozer and Dame Sarr, and the Blue Devils have some serious depth in the backcourt.