Louisville Fans Need To Rally Around The Players Rather Than Kenny Payne
By Caleb Hall
The Louisville Cardinals fell to 4-6 on the season last Wednesday where they had continued their losing streak to 3 games and lost to a bad Arkansas State team. Kenny Payne's job seemed to be on the line with rumors coming in from left and right, but the team found a way to beat Pepperdine by 22 points on Sunday.
While it is not an impressive win by any means, the fact that this was the biggest margin of victory in Payne's 2 seasons here is something to note. Louisville struggled with beating teams like UMBC, Bellarmine, and New Mexico State, and the fact they were able to throttle Pepperdine is impressive.
Should Louisville have beat all of the mid-major teams they faced this year by at least 20 points?
Yes, yes they should, and losses to Chattanooga and Arkansas State are unacceptable. However, if the team can come out and play like they did on Sunday for the rest of the season who knows how many teams they could beat.
If Louisville played with the same intensity they have in games like against Pepperdine and Texas, then the Cardinals could realistically only have 1 or 2 losses.
The main point I'm trying to get to is that if the team starts playing hard and giving everything they have then the fans should too. The fans shouldn't be rallying around Payne unless Louisville rattles off a serious winning streak. What fans could be doing is rallying around these players who are just trying to do their best on and off the court. I know it is hard to support a team and a coach who seems to not prioritize winning basketball games, but it is not as if Payne is trying to lose these games.
Guys like Tre White, Mike James, JJ Traynor, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield played hard against Pepperdine, and it showed a glimpse of how good this basketball team can be. Again, I understand it was Pepperdine but for this team, a win in general could be a spark of greater things to come.
Louisville will face Kentucky this week and if there is a game that the fans show up to, it is against the Wildcats. I am not bashing Louisville fans for not showing up to the games because frankly, the product that has been shown isn't worth some people's time. However, it looks like Payne will likely be let go the next time Louisville loses, so instead of boycotting the team maybe we as Cardinal fans can put our trust into the team to give it their all, and not Kenny Payne.