Louisville Cardinals season ends in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Pat Kelsey and his Cardinals were defeated by the Creighton Bluejays 89-75 from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kent.
The Cardinals made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019 but have been seeking their first NCAA Tournament win since 2017. Louisville basketball started this game off hot and was led by Chucky Hepburn. He scored their first seven points. However, the Cardinals quickly fell behind and could never bring the game in reaching distance.
Louisville basketball gave up a 19-2 run towards the end of the first half, and the Bluejays scored 20 points. The Cardinals couldn't buy a bucket and couldn't stop Creighton's lethal shooting. The Cardinals season may end, but the fans must remain proud of this historic season.
5 massive takeaways from Louisville basketball's loss to the Creighton Bluejays
The Cardinals team never quit this game. They proudly represented the University of Louisville in this game, even though they came up short. Louisville basketball put up a historic season, but before we do our season recap, here are five massive takeaways from Louisville basketball's loss to the Creighton Bluejays in the NCAA Tournament.
5. The Cardinals glaring weakness
Louisville basketball's defense was a glaring weakness in this game against Creighton. The Bluejays shot 57.1. percent from the floor and 45.8 percent from downtown. The Cardinals had a tough time guarding the pick-and-roll and could not slow Jamiya Neal or Steven Ashworth down whatsoever.
Neal secured a career-high 29 points and added 12 rebounds and six assists while shooting 68.7 percent from the floor. Ashworth added 22 points while shooting 50 percent from downtown. The Cardinal's permitted defense was a key weakness this game, and their lack of height didn't help.
The Cardinals gave up 37 rebounds and were dominated in the paint. Creighton secured a 12-0 run early in the game and eight of those points came from the pain. Creighton's first 16 of 23 points came from the paint and made Kelsey scramble for solutions. The Cardinal's lack of paint presence caused them to pinch too hard to slow Ryan Kalkbrenner down, but it just led to Creighton lighting it up from downtown.
4. Shooting woes ends the Cardinals' season
Louisville basketball was known as one of the streakier shooting teams in the NCAA Tournament. The key to this game was getting Reyne Smith and Chucky Hepburn hot early. However, Smith was not 100 percent, and Hepburn did everything he could to keep this team in the game.
The Cardinals shot 27.6 percent from downtown and 42.9 percent from the floor. The Cardinals averaged nearly 10 threes a game, but in this afternoon's game, they could only buy eight. Terrence Edwards Jr. led the way with three 3-pointers but shot just 33 percent from beyond the arc.
Smith went just 1/5 from downtown before exiting the game in the second half. The Cardinals' lethal shooter was in a mini-slump entering the NCAA Tournament, and his ankle injury didn't help him. Lousiville basketball lived and died by their three-point shooting, and this afternoon, their poor shooting cost their season.
3. Chucky Hepburn is a top 10 PG
The Cardinals star point guard gave it everything he had. Louisville's guard stat sheet may not be the most glaring, but wow he made some spectatular plays this game. The guard was slicing and dicing through Creighton's defense and was making the crowd go wild.
Hepburn scored the Cardinal's first seven points, including a spectacular three-pointer off a spin move. Hepburn finished the game with 22 points, six assists, two rebounds, and one steal while shooting 40 percent from the floor.
Hepburn's streaky shooting continued this game, as he didn't shoot the ball well, but his hustle and effort were everything the fans could ask for. His field-goal percentage might not be high, but a big reason for that is that at some point, the Cardinals had to just start chucking up threes to try and bring this game in reaching distance.
Hepburn had a spectacular season for Louisville basketball and proved he is one of the best point guards in college basketball.
2. Louisville basketball 25-strong
The pure energy and enthusiasm that Pat Kelsey has brought to this program are second to none. Lousiville basketball never quit this game because of the 25-strong and the culture Kelsey has brought to this program.
PK received a technical foul in the second half as he was seen standing up for his players and trying to spark the team. The Cardinals were down as much as 20 points in this game, but with the culture Kelsey has built, it is evident that Louisville wouldn't quit.
The Cardinals returned from 15 just a week ago against Stanford, so the team truly believed they would win. Yes, this team has a lot to fix before next season, but this season is a 100 percent successful season. The Cardinals had one of the best turnaround seasons in college basketball history and are now one step closer to that Final Four team. Pat Kelsey is a big reason why. The Cardinals fanbase has their complete trust in Kelsey, and after this game, Lousiville fans can only thank him for this successful season.
1. Louisville basketball is here to stay
Louisville 2024-25 season was a tremendous season. The Cardinals broke multiple program records, including the biggest turnaround in program history. Pat Kelsey has brought this program to life, and while this outcome today wasn't what Louisville fans wanted, the fans can't view any less of this season.
The Cardinals had a combined 12 wins in their previous two seasons, and this season, they secured 27 total wins, including a program-record 18 conference wins and their first berth in the ACC Tournament finals. The Cardinals will lose some key seniors like Chucky Hepburn, but this 2024 team is the return of Louisville basketball. Lousiville basketball will have to hit the transfer portal again, but they bring in 5-star recruit Mikel Brown Jr. and possibly another 5-star recruit in Nate Ament.
Louisville basketball lost by 14 and saw their season come to an end. However, fans are already starting to look back at this season with a smile and realize that this program is about to be a dominant force in college basketball.