The 12 Best U Of L Basketball Podcasts (2026)

If you want a podcast that lives and breathes Louisville basketball and nothing else, Floyd Street's Finest is the one. Hosted by Jack Grossman and Mark Lieberman as part of the Field of 68 Media Network, this show zeroes in on the Cardinals men's basketball program with the kind of focus you rarely find. Every episode breaks down game film, talks matchup strategy, and gets into the weeds on things like defensive rotations and tournament seeding math.

The hosts clearly know their stuff. They'll spend 20 minutes dissecting how Louisville handled a press against Duke or why a specific lineup change mattered down the stretch against Virginia. It's not surface-level recap content. Grossman and Lieberman bring genuine analytical chops and aren't afraid to call out problems when the team is struggling with turnovers or defensive lapses.

With 78 episodes and a strong 4.8-star rating from 94 reviewers, the show has built a loyal following since launching. New episodes drop consistently during the season, often within hours of a game wrapping up. The February 2026 episodes have been tracking Louisville's push toward March, breaking down every win, loss, and bubble scenario in real time.

The tone hits a sweet spot between serious basketball analysis and genuine fan energy. You can tell these guys care about the program without letting homerism cloud their takes. For Cardinals fans who want basketball talk that goes beyond box scores and headlines, this is the first pod you should subscribe to.

The daily grind of following Louisville Cardinals sports gets a whole lot easier with Locked On Louisville. Host Dalton Pence, a 2019 Louisville grad and recruiting analyst who also works as a backup PA announcer for the university, puts out a new episode every single day during the season. That kind of consistency is rare, and it means you're never more than 24 hours away from fresh Cardinals content.

Pence's background in recruiting gives the show an insider edge that most fan podcasts can't match. He'll break down film, analyze specific plays from the previous night's game, and then pivot to talking about which transfer portal targets make sense for next season. Episodes typically run around 30 minutes, which is perfect for a commute or a lunch break. He doesn't waste time with long intros or unnecessary tangents.

The show covers both football and basketball, but during hoops season, basketball dominates. Recent episodes have tracked Louisville's tournament positioning, broken down Mikel Brown Jr.'s performances, and analyzed what the team needs to do in its final regular season stretch. Pence is honest about the team's shortcomings while still maintaining an upbeat perspective.

With 500 episodes in the archive and a 4.4-star rating, Locked On Louisville is one of the most established Cardinals podcasts out there. It's part of the larger Locked On Podcast Network, so production quality stays solid throughout. If you need your daily fix of Louisville sports talk, this one delivers without fail.

Mike Rutherford and Danny Sinnard run one of the most beloved Louisville Cardinals podcasts around, and the numbers back it up: a perfect 5.0-star rating from 673 reviews is almost unheard of for a college sports pod. The CC Podcast has been running since 2020 and has built the kind of passionate community that makes you feel like you're sitting in on a conversation between two friends who happen to know everything about UofL athletics.

The show covers both basketball and football, but basketball season is clearly where the energy peaks. Rutherford and Sinnard don't just recap games -- they react to them in real time. After Mikel Brown Jr. dropped 45 points, they put out an emergency episode within hours. That's the kind of responsiveness that sets this podcast apart from weekly shows where the moment has already passed by the time they record.

What makes the CC Podcast special is the blend of genuine analysis with personality and humor. The hosts weave in personal stories about growing up in Louisville, reference inside jokes from previous episodes, and aren't afraid to get emotional about big wins or frustrating losses. It's unfiltered and marked explicit for a reason -- they say what they think without corporate polish.

With 217 episodes in the library and new content dropping multiple times per week during the season, there's always something fresh. This is the podcast that feels like hanging out with your most knowledgeable Cardinals fan friends.

Starting Five02 bills itself as the only Louisville basketball postgame podcast, and it earns that title. Hosted by Presley Meyer, Jacob Lane, Alan Thomas, and Matt Childress through the State of Louisville Podcast Network, this show drops episodes right after games when emotions and analysis are still fresh. That postgame format gives it a raw, immediate quality that pre-planned weekly shows just can't replicate.

The crew typically records for close to an hour per episode, which gives them room to really break things down. A recent 52-minute episode covered the SMU reaction alongside a Georgia Tech preview, moving naturally between what just happened and what's coming next. They talk about individual player performances -- Ryan Conwell's shooting, Sananda Fru's development -- with the kind of specificity that shows they're watching every minute of every game.

With 171 episodes, a perfect 5.0-star rating from 15 reviews, and the "502" area code right in the name, this is a podcast made by Louisville locals for Louisville locals. The State of Louisville network backing gives it a sense of community that extends beyond just this show, connecting listeners to the broader ecosystem of Cardinals content.

Episodes hit weekly during the season, usually timed around game days. If you're the kind of fan who wants to process what just happened on the court before you go to bed, Starting Five02 is built exactly for that purpose. It's postgame therapy for the Cardinals faithful.

C.L. Brown is one of the most respected sports columnists in Kentucky, and his podcast brings that credibility straight from the pages of the Louisville Courier Journal to your earbuds. Each Wednesday, Brown sits down with one of the state's biggest sports figures -- past, present, or future -- for conversations that go beyond standard postgame quotes and press conference soundbites.

The interview format is what sets this show apart from the roundtable discussion pods. Brown has the connections and reputation to land guests that most fan podcasts simply can't get. He covers both Louisville and Kentucky athletics, but the UofL basketball content is particularly strong, with recent episodes breaking down the Cardinals' March Madness seeding outlook and what the team needs to do in the final weeks of the regular season.

With 100 episodes and a perfect 5.0-star rating from 12 reviews, the show has earned trust through consistency and quality. Brown's journalism background means the conversations are well-structured and informative without feeling stiff. He asks pointed questions and follows up when answers get vague, which means listeners actually learn something new rather than hearing the same talking points recycled.

The Courier Journal and USA TODAY Network backing gives the production solid quality, and Brown's writing career means he brings historical context that younger podcasters sometimes miss. If you want Louisville basketball coverage with a journalist's eye and genuine insider access, The C.L. Brown Show delivers every week.

Bleav in Louisville brings the Cardinals community a focused weekly breakdown of both the men's and women's basketball programs alongside football coverage. Host John Lund runs episodes that typically clock in around 25-30 minutes, making it a tight, efficient listen that doesn't overstay its welcome. He packs a lot into that runtime.

The show is part of the larger Bleav podcast network, which means production values stay consistent and the format is polished. But Lund keeps things personal enough that it doesn't feel corporate. His episode on Mikel Brown Jr.'s 45-point explosion against NC State in the 118-77 win was a standout, capturing the excitement of a historic night while still finding time to analyze what it means for the team's trajectory going forward.

With 74 episodes since 2021 and a 4.4-star rating, Bleav in Louisville has carved out its space in the Louisville podcast ecosystem. Lund covers postgame analysis with coaches, recruiting updates, transfer portal movements, and ACC matchup previews. The show handles both the big picture -- tournament positioning, season arcs -- and the small details like coaching decisions and lineup adjustments.

What works well here is the balance. Lund clearly cares about Louisville athletics without being a blind homer. He'll celebrate wins and also ask tough questions about what needs to change after losses. For fans who want a well-produced weekly podcast that covers the full scope of Cardinals basketball, this one hits the mark.

Cards Cast comes from the Cardinal Authority team at 247Sports, which instantly gives it recruiting credibility that few other Louisville podcasts can match. Hosts Jody Demling and Michael McCammon deliver news and analysis across all Louisville Cardinals athletics, with basketball and football taking center stage during their respective seasons.

The 247Sports connection matters because Demling and McCammon have access to recruiting boards, commitment trackers, and insider information that drives a lot of the show's appeal. When they talk about which high school prospects Louisville is targeting or break down the latest transfer portal movement, they're drawing from a database and network that fan podcasts simply don't have. The basketball coverage gets particularly good during recruiting season when commitments and decommitments reshape rosters.

With 324 episodes and a 4.5-star rating from 33 reviews, Cards Cast has been a steady presence in the Louisville podcast world. Episodes drop weekly and cover everything from game previews to player spotlights on emerging talents like freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. The show also ventures into baseball and other sports when there's news worth discussing.

The last episode dropped in November 2025, so the show may be on a publishing hiatus or transitioning. But the back catalog alone is worth exploring for any Louisville fan looking for recruiting-focused content. When it's active, Cards Cast fills a niche that pure analysis or postgame reaction shows don't cover.

Louisville women's basketball has been one of the most consistently excellent programs in the country, and Off The Walz was the first podcast dedicated entirely to covering it. Hosted by Brian Trent through the State of Louisville Podcast Network, the show gave the Lady Cardinals the dedicated attention they've long deserved.

Trent built the show around a mix of game analysis, player interviews, and recruiting coverage that treated women's basketball with the same seriousness as the men's program. Episodes featured conversations with current players, WNBA stars who came through Louisville, and program alumni who helped build the dynasty. The interview quality was strong, with guests opening up about everything from AAU basketball pipelines to their professional career transitions.

The show has 55 episodes and earned a 4.9-star rating from 8 reviews, which speaks to the quality of the content. It's worth noting that the most recent episode dates to June 2023, so the show appears to be on an extended hiatus or may have concluded. The coaching landscape at Louisville women's basketball has shifted since then, which could explain the pause.

Even so, the back catalog is valuable for fans of Louisville women's hoops. Trent captured a specific era of the program with thoughtful, detailed coverage. If you're looking for historical perspective on how the women's program developed or want to hear directly from the players and figures who shaped it, the archived episodes are still very much worth your time.

This is as close to an official Louisville athletics podcast as you'll find. Inside Louisville Athletics is produced through the Varsity Podcast Network and primarily features the Pat Kelsey Coach's Show, giving fans direct access to the head basketball coach's thoughts on a weekly basis. You're hearing it straight from the person making the decisions, not a third-party analyst guessing at motivations.

The format is straightforward: coach sits down, talks about the previous week's games, previews upcoming opponents, and answers questions. Coach Brohm's radio show episodes cover the football side. These aren't freewheeling fan conversations -- they're structured segments that give you the program's perspective on what's happening. That means you'll get the coach's read on player development, lineup decisions, and strategic adjustments explained in his own words.

With 187 episodes dating back to 2019, the archive spans multiple coaching eras and seasons. The show has a 5.0-star rating, though with only 1 review. Episodes run about an hour and drop weekly during the season, usually shortly after the coach's radio appearance. Production is clean and professional, as you'd expect from the Varsity Network.

The tradeoff is that you're getting the institutional voice rather than independent analysis. Coaches aren't going to criticize their own players on a podcast. But for fans who want to understand the program's direction from the inside, hear the coach's actual game plan thinking, and stay connected to the official narrative, Inside Louisville Athletics fills a role that no independent podcast can.

Jody Demling is a name that Louisville sports fans know well, and The Cardinal Insider gives him a dedicated platform on ESPN 680 and 105.7 The Ville to talk Cardinals athletics almost daily. Demling brings years of covering Louisville for 247Sports and the broader media landscape, so his Rolodex of contacts and depth of program knowledge runs deep.

The show follows a radio-to-podcast format, with episodes typically running between 30 minutes and an hour. Demling records near-daily during busy sports seasons, which means the content is always current. He'll break down last night's basketball game, talk about upcoming recruiting visits, and contextualize where Louisville sits in the broader ACC and national picture. The pace is brisk and conversational, fitting the sports radio mold.

With 100 episodes available on Apple Podcasts and new content flowing regularly through February 2026, The Cardinal Insider is one of the more active Louisville pods right now. It hasn't picked up ratings on Apple Podcasts yet, but the radio audience on ESPN 680 provides a built-in listenership. The show launched relatively recently compared to some of the longer-running Louisville podcasts, having started in 2024.

The radio format means you occasionally get commercial breaks or station bumpers baked into the podcast version, which some listeners might find jarring. But if you can look past the production quirks, the actual content is strong. Demling's institutional knowledge of Louisville athletics is the real draw here, and he uses it to give context that newer voices in the space sometimes lack.

Larry O'Bannon played basketball at Louisville and brings that firsthand experience to every conversation on this podcast. The Player's Perspective lives up to its name -- O'Bannon interviews athletes, coaches, and sports figures with the understanding of someone who's actually been in the locker room, on the court, and through the grind of college athletics. That perspective changes the whole dynamic of how interviews unfold.

The show casts a wide net beyond just Louisville basketball. O'Bannon has talked to football players, NASCAR drivers, entrepreneurs, and leaders across multiple sports. But the Louisville connection runs through everything, and the basketball conversations carry extra weight because O'Bannon speaks the language. He'll ask about specific plays, training habits, and the mental side of competing at a high level in ways that a journalist typically wouldn't.

With 95 episodes, a perfect 5.0-star rating from 60 reviews, and conversations that often run well over an hour, this is a podcast that rewards patient listeners. The bourbon-fueled interview format keeps things relaxed and candid, which means guests open up about topics they might avoid in traditional media settings. The NIL conversation, transfer portal strategies, and honest talk about the business side of college sports come through with unusual authenticity.

Episodes drop biweekly, so it's not a daily fix. But each one tends to be substantial enough to carry you through. O'Bannon has built something genuinely different in the Louisville podcast space -- a show where the host's playing career isn't just a credential, it's the foundation for better conversations.

Drew Deener has been a fixture of Louisville sports radio for years, and The Deener Show on ESPN 680 packages his daily broadcast into podcast form for fans who can't catch it live. The show leans heavily into Louisville Cardinals basketball during the season, with regular guest appearances from coaches, local reporters, and listener call-ins that give it a community feel you don't get from most podcasts.

Deener and his rotating co-hosts, including the colorful @UofLSheriff50, cover game recaps, preview upcoming matchups, and weigh in on the broader college basketball landscape. The format is classic sports talk radio: high energy, opinionated, and occasionally unpredictable. You'll get hot takes alongside legitimate analysis, and the caller segments add a populist element that keeps things grounded in the actual fan experience.

The show has 119 episodes in its podcast archive with a 3.5-star rating from 34 reviews. That rating reflects the polarizing nature of sports radio -- some listeners love the format, others prefer more structured analysis. But the active listenership on the radio side is strong, and the podcast version gives you full episodes to listen to at your own pace.

Episodes are current through February 2026, covering Louisville's basketball push toward March. Deener gets into everything from individual player performances to coaching decisions and conference standings. The Louisville sports radio ecosystem is tight-knit, and The Deener Show sits near its center. If you enjoy the energy and unpredictability of live sports radio, this podcast captures that vibe with the convenience of on-demand listening.