The Cardinals' season comes to an end, and while some may have predicted Louisville to lose this one, it still hurts just as bad. Louisville basketball has struggled all year against the top teams, finishing 1-8 against the current top 25 and 0-6 against KenPom’s top 20.
Pat Kelsey has this program trending up, but there is no question that this was not where the team was supposed to lose entering the season. The Cardinals had one of the best Transfer Portal classes in college basketball and had two top 25 recruits in the 2025 class, and to see them lose in the second round, well, it’s just disappointing.
Louisville fans have been frustrated for the majority of the season as they finish 24-11 and are bounced in the second round. Some fans may want to point the finger at Kelsey for his record against ranked teams and in the postseason, but after the Cardinals' loss, he gave Louisville fans the reassurance they needed.
Pat Kelsey didn’t hold back after Louisville basketball's loss
The Cardinals had the sixth-highest odds to win the National Title entering this season, and Louisville fans fully expected to be dancing in the second week of the NCAA Tournament back in November after they were ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation. However, the Cardinals' season didn’t end as many had expected or hoped. And while everyone is disappointed and frustrated Saturday evening, Kelsey is saying exactly what Louisville fans want to hear.
"We're well aware at the University of Louisville what the standard is in our city for our program," Kelsey stated Saturday afternoon after the loss. "Losing at this round in this game is not the standard, and we understand that."
The Cardinals haven’t been to the Sweet Sixteen or the Elite Eight since 2015, when they lost to Tom Izzo and Michigan State, and they haven’t been to the Final Four or National Championship game since they won it all in 2013. The Cardinals' standard is to play deep into March and to contend for a National Championship, and Kelsey fully understands that.
Louisville didn’t live up to its preseason expectations this year; there is no arguing that. But Kelsey continues to end droughts and take this program to the next level. The Cardinals won just 12 total games in the two seasons before Kelsey took over, and now, even though they were bounced early in the Big Dance, Kelsey is letting the fans know he understands their expectations and the standard, and he isn’t satisfied until they are cutting down nets and the confetti colors are red and black.
Related: Pat Kelsey gives passionate message that will absolutely fire Louisville fans up
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