In hindsight, it was a bit much, way too much, to expect the University of Louisville basketball team to be knocking off top 20 teams right away. The fans were ready, the pundits were ready. Even the gamblers were jumping the gun, Las Vegas making UofL a 2.5-point favorite over 12th ranked Tennessee.
The KFC Yum! Center was a sea of white, the fans occupying all three levels of the arena for the first time in three seasons. Throat-emptying C-A-R-D-S cheers resounding over and over as tip off approached. A scene familiar to long time Louisville fans, ready to embrace relevance again, 16,976 of them on hand.
UofL basketball reaching back to its tradition-rich past with a new coach and a brand new roster, armed with an entirely new roster. Checking boxes, all the checks checking. A new start, back in the swing. What could go wrong?
Cardinal shooting for starters. They would miss their first six shots, all 3-point attempts, while Tennessee was erupting for a 10-0 lead. The Volunteers were not letting anyone near the basket. UofL would finally score, you guessed it, on a 3-point basket by Reyne Smith at the 14:35 mark. The stage had been set, all UofL needed was a desperation comeback from that point on.
No presence in the middle on offense. Layups were few and far between. No garbage shots (tip ins or second chances) to be had. Louisville being outscored 40-10 by Tennessee in the paint.
The only hope UofL had was for some of those 3-pointers to start connecting, The rims were too tight, too stingy, especially for Louisville, with Kelsey’s troops connecting on only 10 of 39 3-point attempts. Tennessee needing only 19 attempts for their 10 3-pointers. Making use of the entire court, out-rebounding the Cards 40-26, making 56% of their shots while allowing UofL only 26.6% from the field.
What we had were a group of seasoned seasoned in Power 5 basketball competition pitted against a new coach with a brand new roster of players, the majority of them having competed in Division II basketball or in exhibition games again no name teams. UofL at this point was not prepared for a team of Tennessee’s caliber, not yet anyway. Final score was Tennessee 77, Louisville 55.
“Obviously extremely disappointed,” said Kelsey. “The Yum! Center was electric, we asked people to come out, they came out big. It was as elite of a college basketball atmosphere as you’re going to find anywhere. The fact of the matter is, they were the better team tonight. [Tennessee] punched us in the mouth from the very beginning. The only way to describe it is they beat us in almost every single facet of the game.
“My message to the players after the game was, I told them the one thing that they don’t have to worry about is us being good. The one thing they don’t have to worry about is us being good. We’re going to become a good team. I believe that, deep down in my soul, with every single fiber of my being, and we’ve got a long way to go.”
Too bad about the game. The atmosphere, however, was highly charged, setting the stage for what can be again for Louisville basketball. No one who was there before the tip off will forget the preamble, this town was ready, is ready, for something great to happen again with this program. The way back is still ready to begin.
