The seed was probably unfair and their path was insane. Injuries caught up with them, and Louisville lost a tough battle to a fellow under-seeded team in Creighton on Thursday 89-75. While the loss is obviously painful, so much happened in Louisville this season that renewed hope for the Cardinals. Pat Kelsey brought a level of play that previous coaches after Rick Pitino could not get. Let’s look at some of the reasons why Louisville is not going anywhere anytime soon in the ACC and could potentially make noise nationally in the near future.
Louisville Loses to Creighton: What’s Next for the Cardinals
A Winning Coach
Pat Kelsey has brought wins with him wherever he went. The ACC Coach of the Year turned around a roster that won only 12 games combined in the previous two seasons. To win 27 games in his first season shows the kind of elite coach that Pat Kelsey is. Louisville finished with a top-30 offense and defense, according to KenPom. Last season, they were 184th in offense and 214th in defense. They weren’t elite on either end, but their elite talent and balanced approach led to success in a weak ACC. Louisville’s loss to Creighton doesn’t define their season. Kelsey brought a new intensity and identity to the Cardinals. He’s still young and shouldn’t go anywhere soon, keeping the Cardinals in contention for years to come.
Elite Recruiting
Their recruiting class only ranks at 67th right now in the 247sports.com rankings, but they already recruited a five-star point guard to replace their elite guard combination. They have 12 seniors to replace, but this is exactly where Kelsey thrived last season. He walked in with virtually nobody on the roster but ended up finding gems in the transfer portal like Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards. Those players were critical for the Cardinals’ success this season. Louisville will look for the same kind of players this offseason to rebuild quickly and contend for an ACC title next season. The Cardinals hope to sign a couple more freshmen to bring some youth to the squad, but the transfer portal wins championships right now. Kelsey will attack the portal again and bring in a whole new squad of veteran talent.
Louisville’s Loss to Creighton Doesn’t Define the Season
Creighton caught fire and dominated portions of the game. At one point, the Blue Jays hit 9/10 threes to extend their lead to 20 points. Creighton could give Auburn some serious problems if they play this well on offense on Saturday, assuming Auburn takes down Alabama State. Reyne Smith was not healthy and clearly showed signs of fatigue as the game went on. Louisville couldn’t finish off their open looks and struggled to stop the Creighton offense. The perfect storm of unfortunate events caught up with the Cardinals and knocked them out of the NCAA Tournament.
Louisville’s loss to Creighton will sting, especially for the seniors. However, this season was a success for Louisville. This kind of turnaround doesn’t happen often in college athletics. While their expectations changed as the season went on, the Cardinals were not expected to make a run to the tournament, let alone be a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament first round. Congratulations, Pat Kelsey and company, you’ve renewed hope for the Cardinal fanbase that so desperately needed something. The future is bright in Louisville.
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