LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The joy returned to the University of Louisville men’s basketball program Monday night.

It did not require a T-shirt toss, a message splashed across the video board or a blast of “The Joker and the Thief.”

Pat Kelsey’s completely rebuilt, restocked and retooled Cardinal team made the KFC Yum! Center vibrate like 2017 again. Continuous explosions of noise shook through the building organically as Kelsey’s team dismantled Morehead State, 93-45, in the season opener.

"The crowd was elite, the energy was elite," Kelsey said. "This arena, when it's buzzing like it was tonight, is a difference maker. It was a factor tonight."

The Cards defended as if their next pair of sneakers depended on it. They shared the basketball like a band of brothers, determined to make the extra pass. Kelsey was comfortable trusting at least nine guys. A dozen scored.

The Cards opened the first half with an with alley-oop dunk by James Scott off a pass from Chucky Hepburn. Apparently the play is not guard-able. Louisville ran the same play to open the second half. Hepburn lobbed it. Scott dunked it. Even harder.

In the first half, Morehead had more shots blocked (four) than the Eagles had go in the basket (3 in 28 attempts). Morehead finished the game with 21 turnovers and 12 field goals. The Eagles had one fast-break basket.

"When everybody is playing active defensively, it's almost like there is an extra defender out there," Kelsey said.

IMAGES | Scenes from Pat Kelsey’s first regular-season win as Louisville coach

"They're long, they're athletic, they're physical," Morehead coach Jonathan Mattox said. "A lot of teams will come out and show pressure in flashes. They showed it for 40 minutes."

Star of the game?

Hard to pick one. Through two exhibitions and the opener, this team has not appeared to be built on star power. Kasean Pryor had 18 points 12 rebounds and four assists. He had the flashiest stat line. But J'Vonne Hadley had 15 points, making 3 of 5 shots from distance and played more than 21 minutes without a turnover. Reyne Smith came off the bench to make four of the 11 three-pointers the Cardinals made.

Nearly everybody contributed and five players scored in double figures as the Cards won by 48.

“We’re a deep team as well," Hadley said. "You don’t see that with too many teams across the country, I feel like we’re going to separate ourselves as the seasons goes on."

If you’re scoring at home, Rick Pitino won his home debut by 54, David Padgett by 11 and Chris Mack by 13. I don’t have to remind you what happened to Kenny Payne against Bellarmine two years ago. Kelsey said he had no interest in discussing the past. Nor should he.

"There were a lot of good things, there was a ton of momentum tonight," Kelsey said. 

One 94-second stretch halfway through the first half got the crowd, announced at 12,490, up and thoroughly engaged. Kelsey called it a "goose-bumps moment."

Seconds after he made a three-point shot, Pryor knocked the basketball away from Morehead guard George Marshall.

Attack. That was the first thing Pryor thought. Attack. So he did, pushing the ball downcourt to Hadley for an easy layup and a 21-8 Louisville lead.

Now the crowd was up, howling, exulting, encouraging, louder than a Cardinal crowd has roared in years.

Morehead tried to respond by taking the ball to the rim. Sorry. The rim was closed, too.

First Aboubacar Trarore swatted a shot into the hands of Dieonte Mills, Morehead’s 7-foot center. At that height, Mills is confident he can get the ball to the rim on anybody.

He could not get it to the rim against Hadley, who is six inches shorter. Hadley’s swat was rebounded by Hepburn. He surrendered the ball to a teammate before Pryor got it back to Hepburn, who made a three-pointer, the Cards’ fourth of the first half.

“I think this team’s defensive ceiling is as high as it goes," Hadley said "One through five we can switch, we’re tall, athletic and get after guys. We have multiple guys that can guard the other team’s best players every single night.

"We are a versatile offense and defense, but on defense we’re going to get after you, that’s a focal point of our team."

Now the noise was as loud as it has been since Donovan Mitchell roamed the grounds. Mattox demanded a timeout.

Mattox got one. Not that it mattered. The rout was on. And on. And on.

"(Kelsey) will re-energize the fan base at a high, high level," Mattox said. 

Louisville will have its shot to prove itself worthy of the Top 25 on Saturday when No. 12 Tennessee visits for a game that will tip at noon. The Vols beat Gardner-Webb, 80-64, in their opener Monday night.

"The nation will be looking at us as we get ready for a very, very good and obviously well-coached team," Kelsey said. "Our fans were phenomenal tonight. I know they'll accept the challenge to make it one of most hostile environments in college basketball on Saturday."

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