Friday is roundtable day at Rivals, and this week brings three questions that span the full college hoops landscape. Our national analysts Rob Cassidy and Jason Jordan discuss what they would do with the disaster at Louisville, which unranked prospects have made an impact on them so far and whether or not they’d like to change their national title picks now that they’ve seen a healthy chunk of games.
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IF YOU WERE LOUISVILLE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR JOSH HEIRD, WOULD YOU BE INCLINED TO LET KENNY PAYNE FINISH THE SEASON OR MAKE A COACHING CHANGE NOW?
Cassidy: This probably won’t be popular with Cardinals fans, but I’d be inclined to let him ride it out and make a change in the offseason. The counter argument to this is that the program continues to find mini-controversies and mild embarrassments under his leadership in addition to being dreadful on the floor, but do we have any information to suggest installing an interim coach will fix that? Is putting a member of this failed staff in the big chair for a few months going to make any difference at all in recruiting or in the product on the court? I’m not sure the program stands to gain anything aside from being the main character of another negative news cycle by firing Kenny Payne this early in his second season. Does a change need to be made? Unfortunately yes, but I’m not totally certain what the rush is here. Let him play this out and make your move in March.
Jordan: I think the general consensus is that Payne isn’t the man for the Cardinals, but I don’t know what booting him now achieves. I’m always a proponent of keeping things in place in these situations until the season ends as long as it’s not severely toxic. The reality is that there will, in all likelihood, be a change come March; expediting that process won’t drastically fix Louisville’s on-court issues. It could make a small difference, but the group rallying around the assistant to make a run at the ACC title and then an NCAA tournament berth is far fetched. I’ve always said that the brass should always get feedback from the actual players before making a decision like this. I would be curious to know what those conversations would yield.
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2. WHICH CURRENTLY UNRANKED PROSPECT HAS MADE THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOU DURING YOUR TIME ON THE ROAD AT HIGH SCHOOL GAMES THIS SEASON SO FAR?
Cassidy: For me, it’s a pair of Arizona-based 2026 prospects in Kayden House and Mason Magee. House was in the thick of the discussion to make the initial top 65 for the 2026 class but narrowly missed out, while Magee has been a bit of a revelation this season and looks like a prospect that could debut near the top 100 after strong showings at Hoophall West in Scottsdale and Section 7 in Las Vegas. Both hold early offers from in-state Arizona State and others but I expect each to see their offer lists explode in the year ahead as they add weight and gain exposure.
Jordan: Definitely Wasatch wing Bhan Buom. I watched him give the Boozer twins 19 points, six rebounds and four assists in a big win. At 6-foot-7, Buom plays 1-5 with three-level scoring ability, elite athleticism and high intensity on the defensive end. The Tigers are in the newly formed Nike EYBL Scholastic League, which gives Buom, a senior, the perfect stage to showcase his abilities against the country’s best players. Expect his stock to rise substantially over the next few months.
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3. BEFORE THE SEASON, JASON PICKED DUKE TO WIN THE NATIONAL TITLE WHILE ROB SELECTED KANSAS. DO EITHER OF YOU CARE TO TAKE A MULLIGAN AND REVISE THAT PICK NOW THAT YOU’VE SEEN ONE-THIRD OF THE REGULAR SEASON?
Cassidy: Believe it or not, this is actually sorta tempting despite the Jayhawks being 9-1. Kansas hasn’t always looked like a team built for March because of some nit-picky issues when it comes to consistency and, most notably, questions about its depth on the occasion that either Hunter Dickinson or Kevin McCullar Jr., finds himself in foul trouble. That aside, I’m going to continue to ride with Bill Self and bet on the fact that the Jayhawks will be as battle-tested as any elite team in the country after surviving the upcoming Big 12 schedule. Plus, every team near the top seems to have some pretty obvious flaws this season, so I’m not certain who I’d switch to even if I decided I wanted to make a change.
Jordan: Well, I’ve been stubborn since the sandbox so I’m going to go down with the ship. Besides it’s much too easy to back out of the pick. Now, the Blue Devils have certainly not lived up to the preseason hype, due in large part to their inability to consistently knock down shots and rebound, but they’ve been in every loss and they have Kyle Filipowski. Mark Mitchell has been a liability from the perimeter, but has found his rhythm as a slasher and Jared McCain, TJ Power and Caleb Foster have emerged of late. They need to continue to show and prove, and get a few quality wins before I can fully support my initial pick, but Baylor next week would be a good start.
