Louisville basketball suffered their first loss yesterday in 49 days to Georgia Tech, but Pat Kelsey and his Cardinals are set up for success and have a path to winning out. Cardinals lost 77-70, but look to quickly bounce back against Boston College Feb.5.
Kelsey unveiled his full proof plan for how UofL needs to play on the road and what his standard is.
"When you are on the road in a tough environment, you can't turn the ball over and you have to knock down free-throws. You give Georgia Tech credit. They played like a desperate team and they deserved to win today." Kelsey stated.
Pat Kelsey has improved this Cardinals offense as they average 11 turnovers per game, and on the road it is something he clearly emphasizes. Turning the ball over eight times, shooting 9/17 from charity stripe and 2/10 from beyond the arc all in the second half is a recipe for disaster.
However, Pat Kelsey also revealed their secret recipe and to why they were "clicking" during their win streak, and and how the Cardinals are set up for future success.
Pat Kelsey reveals why Louisville basketball was ‘clicking’
Louisville basketball dominated during their 10 game win streak, and their last win Wake Forrest on Jan. 28 as the final score was 72-59, earning the Cardinals 10th straight win at the time.
UofL is led by Pat Kelsey, as it is his first season with the Cardinals, and he had this new-looking team on an absolute tear. It was the longest win streak for the Cardinals in over five years and they did it in a dominant fashion.
Their best wins of the season came against Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Clemson and SMU. Kelsey’s squad isn’t just winning these games though, they are playing bully ball basketball and winning by double digits.
In his press conference following their victory over Wake Forest, Kelsey revealed why the team is gelling at the right time.
Pat Kelsey has this UofL team averaging 79 points a game and only giving up 69 points per game. During their 10 game win streak the Cardinals are winning by an average of 14 points per game and scored an average of 81 points.
“We are just clicking,” Kelsey stated after the 72-59 victory over Wake Forrest. “You feel it, we have a lot of momentum, playing well together, our offense is in a great rhythm, and they are really guarding.”
The Cardinals top five wins haven’t been just snuck by wins, they have blown these elite teams out the water. UofL beat Indiana by 28, West Virginia by nine, North Carolina by 13, Clemson by 10 and SMU by 25. Which means the Cardinals five quality wins, which ranks ninth in the nation, is by an average score of 17 points.
Kelsey has made an immediate impact on Louisville basketball program, as the program was last in the ACC last year with an embarrassing 3-17 record in conference play and 8-24 overall. The program has done a complete 180 turn, and the sky is the limit.
“When we get the media timeouts, the first question I ask is ‘what’s the score?’ and they all say ‘0-0 ‘and we just try and win that next four minute segment.”
Kelsey doesn’t care what the score is, and his philosophy is generating this team to excel all expectations.