Louisville basketball looks to bounce back from its first loss of the regular season this past Wednesday. The Cardinals went on the road in a tough environment and fell 89-80 to Arkansas after trailing by 18 at halftime. Pat Kelsey made it clear he was disappointed in his squad after the game, as he stated it was "unacceptable", and now the Cards will face adversity for the first time as a unit.
Louisville is still on the road, as it isn't listed as an away game, but they are playing in Indianapolis against the Indiana Hoosiers. The game sold out, and the Cardinals will look to make a statement and defeat their second top-25 team in the nation. Both teams are entering this matchup hungry for a win after the Hoosiers fell on the road to Minnesota.
Well, Kelsey was on Jon Rothstein's podcast, and he sent a message to the fans that will make them confident about the Cardinals' showdown with the Hoosiers.
Pat Kelsey gives powerful message before Indiana showdown
Louisville faced tons of adversity a season ago, losing by 22 to Tennessee, 23 to Ole Miss, and eight on national TV to Kentucky. Kelsey has this saying of "events+response=outcome". And this Cardinals team is much different than last year's, but they have high expectations for the season, and they are staring at adversity for the first time, and when Kelsey was asked about the loss and how he feels about the adversity, he made it clear he has all the confidence in the world in his team.
"When adversity happens, you show your true colors," Kelsey stated to Rothstein. "I believe in our players, and I believe in our makeup, and I am excited to see the response, and I have a really good feeling of what it is going to be."
Louisville has one of the highest odds not only to win the ACC but also to win the National Title. This team has the tools and depth to win a National Championship, and while they didn't get the result they wanted Wednesday night, they have a massive opportunity to put that game behind them and beat another top-25 team.
As Kelsey said, adversity will reveal a lot about a team, and right now, Louisville has the chance to go on the road and beat the No. 22 team in the nation. 4.5 points favor the Cardinals, and ESPN Analytics gives the Cards a 68.1 percent chance of winning.
Kelsey and the fans are going to learn a lot about this team this afternoon, but Kelsey is letting the fans know early that this Cardinals team is hungry and excited to get back on the court and show the nation who they really are.