LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Let’s get the fine print out of the way now:

The University of Louisville men’s basketball team closed its regular season with a 67-61 loss to Boston College Saturday night at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Cards closed Atlantic Coast Conference play in last place with three wins in 20 games, a one-game improvement from last season. Their overall record of 8-23 is a four-game bump from 2023.

"Listen at the end of the day nobody wants to hear what this program has been through the last seven or eight years, they want it fixed right now," U of L coach Kenny Payne said.

"The reality is they don't want to hear about the process. They want it fixed now.

"The reality of it is you're in a place and you have an opportunity to fix it. Then fix it. Do everything in your power to fix it as a player or a coach."

All signs point to the job of Mr. Fix-It being given to a new coach and the loss being Payne’s final home game. Too many losses. Too many empty seats. Too much negativity percolating around a program that aspires to play for regular-season championships and deep NCAA Tournament runs.

Expect a decision from athletic director Josh Heird on Payne’s future soon, perhaps as early as Sunday and certainly not long after U of L exits the ACC Tournament in Washington D.C. next week.

The fear of losing his job robbed none of the joy from Payne’s Saturday evening or his final week of practice.

"I told (his team) you've got to love what you do," Payne said. "If you love what you're doing, you're not worried about anything else. If you're doing right, you're not worried (about outside noise). Some of that might be Godly but that's the reality ...

"... whether I'm here one year, two years, three or tomorrow. Did I do right by the players? Was my heart in the right place?"

Payne walked out of the locker room, through the southeast corridor of the arena and onto the court about 16 minutes before the game began. That’s about 15 minutes and 45 seconds before he usually make the journey but there was a reason for the early appearance.

It was Senior Night.

Kenny & Zan Payne

U of L basketball coach Kenny Payne celebrated Senior Night with his son, Zan, and their family Saturday night. 

It will only be a footnote in the story of Louisville’s basketball struggles but in 2020, when this senior class was recruited by Chris Mack, the headliners were Dre Davis, Gabe Wiznitzer and J.J. Traynor.

They were surrounded by junior college transfer Jay Scrubb, who never played for the Cards, and undergraduate transfers Charles Minlend and Carlik Jones.

How many points did Louisville get from that group against the Eagles?

The correct answer, of course, is zero.

"What I inherited was broken," Payne said. "More than I can ever tell you. It was broken.

"It wasn't just basketball. It was broken. Beyond broken. When you walk into a situation like that, you're not coaching basketball ... Words can't describe what it takes to get a player to feel good about who and what he is."

Only Traynor stuck with the sagging program — and his season ended after eight games because of a shoulder injury. Davis is chasing an NCAA Tournament bid at Seton Hall. Wiznitzer is a reserve at Ohio University. The others are finished with the college game.

Traynor participated in Senior Night, although he has the option to play as many as two more college seasons.

Traynor was joined in the ceremony by walk ons Aidan McCool and Payne’s son, Zan. Reviving a tradition that Payne’s coach Denny Crum sometimes used, Payne started his available seniors — McCool and Payne.

Payne scored the Cards' first three points and McCool scored the final two on a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds to play.

As for the game, it was a perfect snapshot of Payne’s two-season run coaching his alma mater.

The Cards scored the first four points. Then they were outscored 17-1. They cut the BC lead to 21-18. They fell behind, 36-22.

They left the floor behind by 10 at halftime after BC guard Claudell Harris Jr. stuck a three-point shot at the buzzer. Louisville finished the half with 5 two-point field goals and three turnovers (9) for every assist (3). (Basketball gospel is to strive for a ratio of 2 assists for every turnover.)

The second half was more of the same. Louisville scored the first six points. Boston College scored the next 12.

So it went. Boston College never let Louisville get closer than 6 points. The Cards lost for the seventh straight game, their longest losing steak of the season over what was supposed to be the softest part of the schedule.

On Tuesday the season moves on with the Cards matched against North Carolina State, a team that won at Louisville, 89-83, on Jan. 13.

"We're still confident in ourselves," U of L guard Skyy Clark said. "Like I said, the ACC Tournament is 0-0. The morale of the team is still joyful."

Now the wait for word on Kenny Payne’s future moves to the top of the conversation.

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