Louisville Loses To DePaul, and Kenny Payne’s Seat is Smoking Hot

Louisville head coach Kenny Payne reacts in frustration as the Cards fall behind to Bellarmine in the first half. Nov. 29, 2023
Louisville head coach Kenny Payne reacts in frustration as the Cards fall behind to Bellarmine in the first half. Nov. 29, 2023 /
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Feb 18, 2023; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Kenny Payne reacts during the first half against the Clemson Tigers at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Clemson 83-73. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2023; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Kenny Payne reacts during the first half against the Clemson Tigers at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Clemson 83-73. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports /

Louisville falls to DePaul, and Kenny Payne’s seat is smoking hot

The Louisville Cardinals traveled to take on the DePaul Blue Demons on the road, in a game they were -1.5 point underdogs in. But the way the Cardinals lost this game, and the fact that it was a 1-7 team show how embarrassing it really was.

DePaul had only won one game before Saturday’s matchup, and that win was against South Dakota. DePaul had been on a 5 game-losing skid, and they broke it against the Cards this afternoon.

The first half was not a good one for the Cardinals, as they only scored 22 points and fell to a 16-point deficit going into halftime against the Blue Demons. DePaul was getting blown out badly by power 5 teams so far this year, with a 25-point loss to Texas A&M and a 19-point loss to Iowa State. Depaul seemed to not have much of an issue with Louisville however, as they shot over 50% and limited the Cardinals to under 70 points.

Kenny Payne seems to be the one to blame for this loss, and not having his team ready for a 1-7 basketball team is really inexcusable. The offense was stagnant in the first half, and even though they looked much improved in the 2nd half, it wasn’t enough for an embarrassing first 20 minutes.

How much longer can Cardinal fans continue supporting this on-court product?

If a 4-28 season didn’t send fans over the edge, I think a loss against this very bad DePaul team will.

Louisville may be 4-5 but that is not much of an improvement over last year when you look at the numbers. Louisville has played a much weaker schedule and all of their wins have been exceedingly close except for a 20-point win over Coppin State.

Kenny Payne has the Cardinals swimming in dangerous territory, and the rest of December will be a telling month for how Louisville basketball will play out for the future.

Kenny Payne has to prove himself, or Athletic Director Josh Heird may be getting Payne a very expensive Christmas gift that leads to him not coaching at Louisville come next year.