LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Questions? When haven’t there been questions surrounding Pat Kelsey’s University of Louisville men’s basketball team this season?
Did the Cards really have the depth and talent to compete at the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the first year of this complete rebuild?
Would they be able to overcome injuries to two of their top rotational players? Did this group have the goods to cruise into the NCAA Tournament without anything to fret on Selection Sunday?
Yes, yes and yes.
But Wednesday night, when the Cards handled the University of California, 85-68, at the KFC Yum! Center, another string of questions hit Kelsey's team:
What would UofL do on a night when Chucky Hepburn did not score like the best point guard in the country, missing his first four shots and going without a field goal for more than 19 minutes?
How would Louisville hold up when Hepburn’s sidekick, Terrence Edwards Jr., went to the bench with his third foul with four minutes to play in the first half?
And how would the Cards’ offense function over the entire second half after three-point sharpshooter Reyne Smith had to stay on the bench with a tender ankle?
Play on. Party on.
"It's just the resiliency of this team," Kelsey said. "I think it's one of the trademarks, one of the hallmarks."
"They've got a lot of different weapons," Cal coach Mark Madsen said. "If you key on Hepburn, he's good enough from a passing standpoint to make everyone around him better ... They've got a lot of weapons and they do a good job of sharing the basketball."
Louisville flattened Cal with more than 10 minutes of the most assertive defense the Cards have played all season. Kelsey’s team trailed 15-14 after Cal center Lee Dort converted a three-point play with 10:15 remaining in the first half.
Here is what happened over the rest of the half: California attempted 18 shots. California made one, missing 14 straight leading into halftime.
"It's our length and athleticism," said U of L forward J'Vonne Hadley. "We have the ability to switch everything. We have a smart group, a veteran group."
After trailing by one, the Cards led, 41-26 and anybody struggling with the 9 p.m. tipoff was cleared to exit early into the icy evening. This one, like all but one of the previous 18 games, belonged to the Cardinals (24-6).
"We've been a really, really good defensive team for the last two months," Kelsey said. "It's just the care factor. Our defense is player led."
"You're not going to be able to win a game when you go that long without a field goal," Madsen said.
Edwards led Louisville with 35 points, making 7 of 11 shots from distance. Edwards scored 17 of Louisville’s first 22 points. He joined Hepburn, Smith and Hadley as Cards who have scored 30 or more points this season. It is the first time in program history Louisville has had four players score 30 in a game in a season. (Kelsey said after the game he was not certain about the seriousness of Smith's ankle injury and whether he would be available Saturday.)
"We're not going to be able to beat a team like this if a guy like Terrence gets loose," Madsen said. "He's a very talented player. He's able to elevate over smaller defenders."Â
"We are the farthest thing from a one-trick pony," Kelsey said.
After missing his first four shots, Hepburn made his next four, rallying to score 16 points while grabbing seven rebounds with five assists, a block and a steal. Hadley was the third Cardinal in double figures with 16.
"You never know who is going to go off," Edwards said. "Our team is so good, we just feed the hot hand. It's the power of the unit, the brotherhood. We just love playing with each other."
This one came with a splash of history. It improved Louisville’s record in the Atlantic Coast Conference to 17-2. This is the fifth season ACC teams will play a 20-game conference schedule. Louisville is only the fourth team to win 17 league games, joining North Carolina (which won 17 last season); Clemson (which won its 17th against Boston College Wednesday night) and Duke, which set the record by winning its 18th league game against Wake Forest Monday night.
Senior Day awaits. Louisville will host Stanford at 2 p.m. Saturday, the final regular-season game before the Cards head to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament next week. After losing at Notre Dame Wednesday, Stanford slipped to 19-11 overall and 11-8 in the league. Ken Pomeroy's computer formula projects Louisville to win by 13 points.
"I think it's just a matter of time where everybody is going to be hot at the same time," Edwards said. "I think that's what makes our team so good. Nobody cares about points."
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
