CRAWFORD | At Louisville, Kelsey and players have made March Madness new again | Sports

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WDRB) – For the University of Louisville men’s basketball coaches and players, the NCAA Tournament is nothing new. Most of them played or coached in last season’s NCAA Tournament, just for different teams in different places.

But for this program, brought back into the March Madness fold after five long seasons away, the experience is being made new again.

And if the operative word of the past couple of days in the wake of Louisville’s No. 8 seed announcement by the NCAA Selection committee has been “disrespect,” the operative word on Wednesday when the Cardinals arrived at Rupp Arena was “joy.”

If you expected scowls and attitude and “chip on the shoulder” looks from the Cardinals when they mounted the press conference podium or took the court for a shootaround, you probably were disappointed. This was a team of smiles. It was a raucous time of chants and energy and inside jokes, of enjoying these days on the court together which, win or lose, are winding down.

The initial response to the historically low seeding for a team ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press poll was one of confusion and frustration. The secondary response, which was nearly immediate, was, “Get to work.”

“We haven't blinked an eye,” Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said. “Don't talk about it. It's a nonissue at that point. We are here, and we are playing Creighton, and we have to be at our absolute best to beat Creighton. You don't need any added motivation when you have an opportunity to represent your school and your city in the national tournament. Our guys are competitors, as you know. You've seen them compete all year long. So, whether the committee decided to make us a 16 seed, an eight seed, a four seed, a five seed, we're here. And all of our attention is on trying to beat a world-class coach and a world-class team.”

Terrence Edwards Jr. — Louisville's Terrence Edwards smiles during the team's NCAA Tournament shoot around in Rupp Arena on March 19, 2025.
ERIC CRAWFORD

“We were a little bit shocked that our name was called that early for sure,” J’Vonne Hadley said. “But we're just grateful to be in this place.”

Kelsey has presided over a 19-game improvement in victories from last season, matching the largest in college basketball that didn’t involve a national pandemic. His team went from being picked ninth in the ACC preseason poll to finishing conference tournament play ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press poll.

Creighton coach Greg McDermott called it one of the best storylines of the NCAA Tournament. He’s just hoping it’s not one of the longest storylines.

“It's one of the best stories in college basketball,” McDermott said. “From what they did last year to where the team is today -- outside of the fact that the No. 10 team (in the nation) is playing in the 8-9 game, that's probably a pretty big story, too. But we're the recipient of that, I guess. He's done an unbelievable job. It's easier to turn around programs quickly than it has ever been, but it's not that easy. You have to do a lot of research to make sure the pieces fit. They've done a masterful job of putting that roster together that looks like they've been playing together forever.”

Beyond that, when McDermott was asked his impressions of Louisville from studying the team on tape in recent days, beyond the x-and-o analysis, he said something interesting.

“They look like they're having a blast,” McDermott said. “That's a credit to Coach Kelsey and his staff that they have created a culture where they really, truly look like they're enjoying playing the game of basketball.”

Louisville's Chucky Hepburn during the team's NCAA Tournament shoot around in Rupp Arena on March 19, 2025.
ERIC CRAWFORD

Which brings us back to that joy angle again. Kelsey was asked about his postgame dance moves earlier this season, and basically said it’s just one way to make things fun. He noted that coaches are pretty intense, and ask a lot of their players between the lines, but that it’s important for them to embrace the joy of the game, too.

Reyne Smith, who has been out the past five games with a high ankle sprain, expects to return against Creighton on Thursday. Said this team is a mature team, with players who may not have always enjoyed themselves on the court, but who have gained perspective through their experiences.

“We’re playing a game, at the end of the day,” Smith said. “Yes, we take our business seriously with our scouting and respecting our opponent. But once we’re out there we’re playing a game we all love. You have a smile on your face and enjoying every moment. That’s what I preach to guys on the court. I think when guys are too intense you don’t really play as well, so if I see it, I just try to say, ‘Have fun and play with that joy.’”

The Cardinals certainly looked the part on the Rupp Arena court on Wednesday. But they have a serious challenge in Creighton, which has a national player of the year candidate in 7-1 senior Ryan Kalkbrenner and one of the national assist leaders in senior point guard Steven Ashworth.

The Bluejays are well-familiar with Louisville point guard Chucky Hepburn, who grew up in Omaha. McDermott says he’s known Hepburn and his family since the eighth grade. He expects a challenge in covering a Louisville offense with a good many wrinkles.

Louisville coach Pat Kelsey watches his team during its NCAA Tournament shoot around in Rupp Arena on March 19, 2025.
ERIC CRAWFORD

“Coach Kelsey has done an unbelievable job,” McDermott said. “Like us, they have had to reinvent their roster because of injuries early. And you can see it from watching them in December and January to how they are playing recently, how much they have improved and how guys have embraced their roles. He's very creative offensively, defensively. They do a great job trying to take away what teams are trying to do.”

A year ago, Hadley was playing for a tenth-seeded Colorado team that upset Florida before losing to Marquette. Terrence Edwards was with James Madison, a 12-seed, that upset Chucky Hepburn and No. 5 Wisconsin before falling to Duke. Noah Waterman and redshirt Ali Khalifa were with BYU and Mark Pope, which was upset by Duquesne in the first round. Kelsey, Smith, James Scott and Kobe Rodgers put up a good fight at Charleston before falling to Alabama, an eventual Final Four team, 109-96. Rodgers suffered an injury in that game that kept him out all this season. A year before, he led Nova Southeastern to a 36-0 record and the NCAA Division II championship. Aboubacar Traore was a leader on that Long Beach State team that went on a stirring run after the firing of its coach before losing in the first round to Arizona.

That’s a lot of tournament experience. Kelsey, making his fifth trip as a head coach, sold all of these players on a chance to do it again, and do it together, and in a place where it wouldn’t seen be forgotten.

Before they’ve ever taken the court in this tournament, they have done that.

“It never gets old,” Kelsey said. “I've been here -- been very, very fortunate to be in this tournament a bunch, both as an assistant coach, as a player, and as a head coach. And to be here once again is always special, because it always is. And we’re excited to be in our home state. I think our fans are going to come out in droves, hopefully, and our guys are excited to compete against a world-class coach and a high-level program and a very, very, very dangerous team.”

It never gets old, Kelsey said, and he’s right.

Even in a place making its 44th tournament appearance, especially with a group that ended a long absence, to make March Madness new again.