To some, it’s the most magical time of the year. We now have football and basketball! For the Louisville Cardinals, basketball season is officially here, and the excitement is building. Head coach Pat Kelsey has turned the team around back into March Madness contenders. They have advanced further in the season both of his two seasons. Louisville continues to receive recognition for its basketball culture. Louisville is routinely listed as one of the best college basketball cities. The city’s passion for the game is unmatched, and the Cardinals gave fans plenty to cheer about with an impressive start against Chattanooga.
Photo Cred: X
Louisville came out firing, opening the game with a strong offensive performance. The Cardinals put together a 13-5 run, knocking down three-pointers. Even after a timeout, Louisville continued to apply pressure and ballooned the lead to 20 points. The Cardinals’ offense was clicking throughout the first half. At the halfway mark, Louisville had made 15 of its 21 field goal attempts. They knocked down five three-pointers and recorded 10 assists. It was a full team effort.
The balanced offensive attack allowed the Cardinals to build a 25-point lead with just over a minute remaining in the first half. However, the second half presented a different challenge. Chattanooga took advantage of Louisville’s offensive struggles. The Cardinals went cold. They began to struggled from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line. They made just one of their final 16 three-point attempts and shooting 9-for-18 from the free-throw line. If they didn’t have such a great first half, things could’ve taken
UofL head coach Pat Kelsey credited Chattanooga and head coach Dan Earl for their second-half performance while acknowledging areas where his team needs to improve.
“We played really well in the first half and played very poorly in the second half, you credit to Coach [Dan] Earl and Chattanooga for that,” said Kelsey. “Always give credit to your opponent, and I always do that, they are very well coached. We were up 25 with a minute left in the first half and they outscored us by 11 from that point out, maybe more. Our offense, I have to watch the tape, but I feel like 1 for 16 from three and 9 for 18 from the line. Obviously, you are 15 feet away and the clock is stopped, and you’re shooting a free throw, shoot 50%, obviously. We have to be better than that.”
Photo Cred: S.I.
Several Cardinals delivered strong individual performances despite the shaky second half.
Flory Bidunga led Louisville with 16 points, making six field goals and four free throws. Adrian Wooley added 15 points, shooting 7-for-7 from the field goal column provided. Jackson Shelstad contributed 13 points, including three three-pointers, while Seth Trimble also finished with 13 points.
Louisville’s top performers:
- Flory Bidunga: 16 points, 6 field goals, 4 free throws.
- Adrian Wooley: 15 points, 7 field goals, 1 three-pointer.
- Jackson Shelstad: 13 points, 5 field goals, 3 three-pointers.
- Seth Trimble: 13 points, 4 field goals, 1 three-pointer, 4 free throws.
With basketball season underway, Louisville once again has the opportunity to showcase why the city belongs among the best college basketball destinations in the country. The Cardinals showed what their offense can look like when everything is clicking, but Kelsey knows consistency will be important as the season progresses.
