Louisville basketball made its 2025-26 debut this past Friday night against the Kansas Jayhawks in an exhibition game. The Cardinals were defeated 90-82 by the Jayhawks, but the fans made it clear throughout the game and after that, they were quite disappointed.
The Cardinals turned the ball over way too many times, and their frontcourt was underwhelming. The frontcourt was nonexistent at the time, and the interior defense was a significant weakness. However, after the game, J'vonne Hadley addressed the team, saying they would use this as motivation and set them up for another historic season.
As for Kelsey, he also stated how important this game is for this Louisville team. Kelsey has no concerns about this team moving forward, and he made it clear that he only thinks the Kansas loss will help Louisville out.
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Pat Kelsey is confident Louisville will learn a lot from the tape
The Cardinals enter the 2025-26 season ranked No. 11 in the nation and have the No. 10 best odds to win the 2026 National Title. Louisville fans have incredibly high expectations heading into the 2025-26 season, and Kelsey is here to tell you not to lower them.
"That’s what these early games and scrimmages are all about," Kelsey stated after the game, "Finding things out about your team—the strengths, the weaknesses, and things that need to be fixed. Playing a preseason game against a Division III team like we did last year, you don’t get the answers that you need, and we have some tonight. The tape will be a great teaching tool, and I am excited about diving into it."
Kelsey and the Cardinals have one of the best 3-point shooting teams heading into the 2025-26 season, but if they want to live up to those expectations, it will be crucial for this team to take good shots. Friday night, the Cards were taking off-balanced, ill-advised shots that just don't set them up for success against a good team.
Many fans took to social media, making it clear that the interior defense has to be better and that the frontcourt has to play a bigger role as well. Kelsey admitted after the game Sananda Fru needs a bigger role and he has to get more than one shot. This team showed some grit in the second half and sprang a few runs together, but it will be crucial for the team to learn from the tape, as Kelsey said.
Friday's loss shouldn't lower the fans' expectations. It was a good loss that the team will learn a lot from, not only setting them up for success in the 2025-26 season but also helping them get ready for their first real top-10 matchup against their in-state rival, the Kentucky Wildcats.
The Cardinals showed last year, after a tough loss, how they can learn from it, and Kelsey and his team are confident they will do that again this year.
Related: ESPN ranks three Louisville basketball players in Top 100 ahead of season tipoff
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.