Louisville basketball snaps 16-game streak with dominant blowout win vs. Indiana
11/27/2024 03:24 PM
Louisville basketball snapped a remarkable 16-game streak with its blowout victory against No. 14 Indiana. The 89-61 demolition at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament proved that first-year Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey is a force to be reckoned with. Louisville basketball finally seems to be back after a 12-52 record over the last two seasons under Kenny Payne.
While the lopsided score was shocking enough, the losing streak that the Cardinals broke was even more eye-opening. ESPN College Basketball Insider Jeff Borzello explained why this victory was so important for the program.
“Louisville entered today with 16 straight losses to ranked opponents, per @ESPNStatsInfo. They snapped that streak in convincing fashion.”
Pat Kelsey has breathed new life into Louisville basketball
Despite Louisville basketball’s history of winning, Pat Kelsey inherited a program in shambles. However, the Cincinnati native is used to these kinds of projects. Kelsey has twelve years of experience rebuilding programs like Winthrop and Charleston into perennial tournament teams. Nevertheless, Louisville basketball was coming off of firing two coaches in three years. In addition, the program was still getting past the dark cloud from the multiple scandals under former head coach Chris Mack.
In 2023, the Cardinals were 8-24 overall and 3-17 in ACC play. Five games into Kelsey’s tenure and it’s like those years never happened. Louisville basketball is currently 4-1, with its only loss coming to an experienced, No. 7 Tennessee team. One of those wins was this blowout over an Indiana Hoosiers team with a preseason All-American on its roster. The Cardinals will now have the opportunity to play the winner of No. 3 Gonzaga and West Virginia in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament semifinals.
The key to this quick rebuild has been the transfer portal. Seven of the eight main contributors on Louisville’s roster are transfers, including senior Reyne Smith, who came over from Charleston with Kelsey. Smith has come off the bench in his first five games with the Cardinals but leads the team in points at 14.2 ppg.
Overall, a prestigious program with seemingly no future is suddenly a threat in the ACC. Pat Kelsey rebuilt Louisville basketball with a roster that includes five players averaging more than ten points. With the lack of depth in the conference aside from North Carolina and Duke, two squads with a couple of losses already, the Cardinals have every right to dream big as they become one of the best early stories in college basketball.
The post Louisville basketball snaps 16-game streak with dominant blowout win vs. Indiana appeared first on ClutchPoints.
