Louisville basketball improved to 1-0 Monday night as the Cardinals' season officially began after UofL defeated Chattanooga 84-70. The Cardinals were led by Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga, who scored 16 points and added nine rebounds. In addition to Bidunga, UofL saw Adrian shoot 50% from the field and finish aggressively, adding 15 points.
3 biggest winners and 2 losers from Louisville's 84-70 win over Chattanooga
The Cardinals showed a lot of promise and potential in the first half, shooting 57% from the field, 42% from beyond the arc, and dominating the glass. However, the second half was a different story. The Cardinals' attention to detail in the second half wasn’t what it was in the first, and the Cards let their 25-point lead shrink to 14 at the buzzer.
After the game, Kelsey made it clear he wasn’t going to sugarcoat it: he was disappointed in his group in the second half, but he is excited to get back to work.
Pat Kelsey made it clear Louisville’s effort wasn’t good enough in second half
Entering the season, Louisville has lofty expectations as this group has one of the highest odds to make it to the Final Four and is currently ranked No. 11 in the nation. Louisville showed that potential in the first half, but the second half told a completely different story.
The Cardinals shot just 50% (9-of-18) from the charity stripe and just 1-of-16 from beyond the arc in the second half. On top of the second-half shooting woes, the Cardinals gave up offensive rebounds to Chattanooga, and in Kelsey’s eyes, they just weren’t playing hard enough.
“We started feeling sorry for ourselves a little bit, getting frustrated because the ball isn’t going in. And then you go down on the other end, and we don’t play hard enough. I think they had 10 offensive rebounds in the second half. Just disappointing. It is an early season game. It's our first game. We got a lot to improve on,” stated Kelsey.
Kelsey made it clear he didn’t like the Cardinals' response to their poor shooting, but plenty of the season remains, and it is only game one. The Cardinals showed their potential in the first half, going up 25 point with under a minute left and shooting the ball at a very high rate.
However, Kelsey isn’t sugarcoating it: if the ball isn’t falling and the basketball gods aren’t on their side, this group can’t put their heads down and take themselves out of the game.
“Really good teams are consistent, regardless of whether the ball is going in the basket or not. They are still elite on defense or rebounding, and I thought they kicked our butt on the glass in the second half,” Kelsey said. “I was disappointed. I’m not gonna come in here and sugarcoat things. I just can’t do that. I’m a little disappointed, I’m a little ticked off, and I’m excited about getting back to work.”
So, the Cardinals improve to 1-0, but there is still work to be done. Louisville’s next game is Saturday, Nov. 7, when the Cards will face the Morehead State Eagles at noon local time inside KFC Yum! Center
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