North Carolina guard Seth Trimble (7) works against Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
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In Las Vegas last month, Seth Trimble played for the Washington Wizards in the NBA Summer League, averaging 10.8 points in 23.3 minutes per game. It was seemingly the start of his professional career. But now, Trimble is returning to college, thanks to a recent court ruling.
On Wednesday, Trimble committed to Louisville, according to an ESPN report. Trimble, who played four years at North Carolina, can now compete for a fifth year after a U.S. district court judge in Ohio on July 31 granted a preliminary injunction that gave athletes from the high school class of 2022 an extra year. That coincides with a new NCAA rule that took effect this month allowing athletes five years of eligibility in a five-year window starting once they enter college.
The NCAA has appealed the judge’s ruling. Still, barring a change, Trimble will be eligible to play this season, giving Louisville a shot at the national championship.
After coming off the bench in his first two seasons at North Carolina, Trimble started 18 games for the Tar Heels in the 2024-25 season and all 24 games he appeared in last season when he averaged a career-high 14 points per game and shot 47.1% from the field. He entered the transfer portal following the season, allowing him to head to another school if he could get another year of eligibility. He wasn’t selected in June’s NBA draft and didn’t sign a professional contract, although he played for the Wizards in the summer league. Trimble came off the bench in the team’s first three games before starting the final two games.
At Louisville, Trimble should start and join a program that has invested heavily during the offseason. The Cardinals have the No. 1 transfer portal class in the nation, per 247Sports, including former Kansas forward Flory Bidunga, the top ranked transfer who averaged 13.3 points, 9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for the Jayhawks as a sophomore last season.
Louisville’s other transfers include guard Jackson Shelstad, a three-year starter at Oregon who averaged 15.6 points, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 12 games last season; forward Alvaro Folgueiras, who averaged 8.4 points and 3.6 rebounds at Iowa; guard Karter Knox, who averaged 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds at Arkansas; guard De’Shayne Montgomery, who averaged 13.4 points at Dayton; and center Gabe Dynes, who averaged 2.9 points per game at USC.
The Cardinals signed two top high school players, as well, in center Obinna Ekezie Jr. and forward Boyuan Zhang, who were No. 15 and No. 54, respectively, in the high school class of 2026 rankings, per the 247Sports Composite. They also have London Johnson, a guard who played three seasons in the NBA G-League before enrolling at Louisville in December but sitting out the season.
Louisville went 24-11 last season and 11-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, good for sixth in the league. The Cardinals advanced to the NCAA tournament as a No. 6 seed, where they lost to Michigan State in the second round, a disappointing ending considering Louisville was 11th in the preseason Associated Press poll.
This year, the Cardinals should crack the top 10 of the preseason polls even though they only return one contributor in guard Adrian Wooley, who averaged 8.7 points in 22.4 minutes per game last season.
After firing coach Rick Pitino in 2017, Louisville had a rough seven-year stretch that included no NCAA tournament appearances, coach Chris Mack departing under pressure in January in 2022 and coach Kenny Payne going 12-52 in two seasons before getting fired. But since Pat Kelsey took over as coach in 2024, the Cardinals have turned things around, making the NCAAs the past two seasons.
Now, Louisville is looking to take the next step. Since advancing to the Elite Eight in 2015, the Cardinals have only won two NCAA tournament games and never made it past the second round. This coming season, the expectations will be high. The Cardinals will join Duke and Virginia as the likely top three teams in the ACC. More than that, Louisville will be picked among the favorites to make the Final Four for the first time since 2013 and only the fourth time in 40 years. The Cardinals will have plenty of pressure, but they have a roster and coaching staff talented enough to make Louisville a national power once again.
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