The last time the Louisville men’s basketball team played an exhibition game against a Division II opponent, former coach Kenny Payne dropped one of the most infamous lines of his disastrous two-year tenure: “We can’t be teams with talent.”
What a difference six months can make.
Pat Kelsey‘s new-look Cardinals were not only the more talented team during a 106-59 win against Young Harris College on Monday night at the KFC Yum! Center but also showed a level of cohesion that was rarely, if ever, seen while Payne was at the helm.
They didn’t play like a group hastily assembled through the NCAA transfer portal this spring. As was the case during a dominant exhibition tour of the Bahamas this summer, they resembled a team that has been playing together for a couple of seasons. And in case you forgot, they can shoot the lights out.
Make no mistake: U of L will be tested early and often out of the gate, to the tune of potentially eight teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 before Jan. 2. The competition it faced Monday night was a step up from the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League — in 2023-24, Young Harris ranked among the top DII teams in terms of field-goal percentage defense (42.4%) — but the Mountain Lions were outclassed from the jump.
Speaking with reporters last week, Kelsey said he and his staff were preparing their players for this game as if they were playing Duke. Some of that can be attributed to his belief that the “next thing” is “the most important” thing; but there are a lot of demons to exorcise in the Yum! Center — starting with two exhibition losses to Lenoir-Rhyne in 2022 and Kentucky Wesleyan in 2023.
“This preparation today, these hours leading up to this game, might be the most nervous I’ve been as a head coach,” Kelsey said.
Consider those demons gone. For the first time in a long time, fans were leaving early on a school night because the Cards had built too commanding of a lead — not the other way around.
Louisville needed only 12 minutes and some change to make more 3-pointers (14) than it did during both of last season’s exhibitions combined (13). It finished with 24, which would have been a new program record had this one counted for real.
As it stands, the high-water mark is 22 — set against Hartford on Nov. 17, 2007. But it feels destined to fall this season; even if Kelsey insists that he and his staff do not instruct players to prioritize the deep balls.
Of the team’s 78 field-goal attempts Monday, 56 came from beyond the arc. That also would have been a new program record. As it stands (for now), it’s 40 against TCU on Jan. 12, 2002.
“Our major focus is playing off the attack,” Kelsey said. “Then, 3s kind of present themselves.”
Added senior guard Reyne Smith, who tied fifth-year guard/forward Terrence Edwards Jr. with a game-high six treys: “We just want to generate the best shot possible each possession, whether that’s a shot at the rim or a 3-pointer.
“All the guys work really hard on shooting every single day, so if someone’s open and catching (the ball) in rhythm, we’re letting them fly all the time.”
The Cards also picked up where they left off in the Bahamas with regards to their sharp passing. By the 17:19 mark of the second half, they had tallied more assists (21) than they did in both of their 2023-24 exhibitions while turning the ball over only three times. They finished with 27 on 40 made field goals — seven off a program record set Dec. 23, 2003, against VMI — against 12 turnovers.
Edwards led all scorers with 24 points, followed by Smith with 20. Sophomore forward James Scott pulled down a team-high nine rebounds to go along with seven points. Senior guard Chucky Hepburn (11 points) and junior guard Koren Johnson (eight points) dished out a game-high seven assists apiece.
U of L has one more exhibition at the Yum! Center on the docket, a 7 p.m. tipoff Oct. 28 against Spalding, before the 2024-25 regular season begins Nov. 4 against Morehead State.
As for things he thought could be cleaned up between now and the next dress rehearsal, Kelsey mentioned taking care of the ball for a full 40 minutes after 11 second-half turnovers and defending without fouling after Young Harris attempted 14 free throws after the intermission. He was also miffed that Spencer Legg didn’t rush over to help fellow walk-on Aidan McCool up off the ground after he dove after a loose ball during the final seconds.
These are much better problems to have than being incapable of beating teams with talent.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball score: Pat Kelsey records win at KFC Yum! Center
