Louisville basketball secured its first win as a team in last night's exhibition game against Bucknell. The Cardinals' win over Bucknell showed fans a lot more about this team, as the Cards continue to grow in confidence and build chemistry ahead of their first regular-season game on Nov. 3 against South Carolina State.
Louisville defeated Bucknell 99-76 at KFC Yum! Center last night, and the fans are buzzing with excitement. Yes, there are still some areas where they have to improve, but the Cards showed just how dominant and hot they can get. Louisville rattled off multiple runs, including its 21-3 run to end the first half.
Louisville showed the fans a lot of good in this game, and getting a win should give this team some good momentum heading into the 2025-26 season. That said, let's break down five important observations from Louisville basketball's exhibition win over Bucknell.
5. Louisville is going to live and die from 3-point line
Louisville fans quickly realized, after two games, that this team is going to live and die by the 3-point line. Louisville shot 11-38 from beyond the arc against Kansas, and the fans weren't worried about the shooting percentage but about the shot selection. Well, against Bucknell, they took much better shots and proved how lethal they are going to be from beyond the arc.
Louisville finished the game 23-46 from downtown, which would have been a school record if it had been a regular-season game. Louisville was led by its 5-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr., who showed why he was the nation's No. 1 point guard as he shot 8-of-11 from beyond the arc. Joining the party were Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely, as the Xavier transfer went 4-of-7 from downtown and the Virginia transfer went 6-of-9.
The Cards last year lived and died by the 3-ball, and it is clear they will again this year. However, the Cardinals this year should be a much better team from beyond the arc, and that was evident last night. The Cardinals' win over Bucknell was a fun one, as the fans got to see Louisville shoot their opponents out of the gym for the first time.