1. Interior defense struggles prevail
Most fans have entered the season fully knowing that defense could be the weakness of the 25-26 Louisville Cardinals. It was a struggle in Kelsey’s first year for the first part of the season, until leaders such as Terrance Edwards bought in and upped their intensity on the defensive front. Kelsey will need another leader to step up and make defense their identity to help address the Cardinals' apparent weakness to start the season.
Newcomer junior Sananda Fru and Aly Khalifa provided less than spectacular performances in the defensive frontcourt that left many Cardinals fans discouraged after the game. The Cardinals gave up 34 points in the paint and allowed Kansas to finish the game with a 50% shooting percentage overall. Louisville has high expectations for these two in the front court to be both offensive weapons and to shore up a position group that lacked the skill and toughness to match up with other ACC competition last season. Rest assured, if anyone can get the most out of these guys, it is the 2025 ACC Coach of the Year, Pat Kelsey.
Related: 5 key observations from the Louisville basketball's loss to Kansas
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