The crowd was gone. The music was off. The lights still hummed. And on the floor, with a few managers rebounding for him, was Mikel Brown Jr.

It was ugly — which isn’t against the law in an exhibition game. And losing to No. 19 Kansas, 90-82, isn’t quite the same as losing to Division II Lenoir-Rhyne.

These aren't your father's exhibition games. Or your grandfather's.

Louisville men’s basketball isn’t easing into Year Two of the Pat Kelsey era. It’s diving headfirst into the fire.

That’s the new number keeping athletic directors up at night — the amount schools can now pay athletes annually in direct compensation under the NCAA’s House settlement, beginning July 1.

The game marks a rare meeting between two tradition-rich programs and is part of a home-and-home exhibition agreement.

It's always special when these programs play.

The surest sign that the start of the 2024-24 men's basketball season is 19 days away was the arrival earlier this week of the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll.