CRAWFORD | It beats a loss: Louisville opens with 91-50 exhibition win over Simmons | Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- I will not draw major conclusions from an exhibition game. I will not draw major conclusions from an exhibition game. I will not draw major conclusions from an exhibition game.

I'll finish writing that 100 times on my tablet later.

The sentence was true 10 minutes into Wednesday's University of Louisville basketball exhibition opener against Simmons College, and it's true at the end of the Cardinals' 91-50 victory.

For good or ill, you can't make too much of it.

But let me tell you, a little more than 10 minutes in, some Louisville fans may have felt ill. Louisville had twice as many turnovers (12) as field goals, against a team that doesn't even give scholarships. In the second half, they had 4 turnovers in the first 2 ½ minutes.

So it's a work in progress.

But there was progress. I think. A lot of the hope surrounding this group is in the freshman class. This team may only be as good as their development over the course of the season. It'll take seeing them against better competition – or at least scholarship players – to evaluate them better.

My way-too-early thoughts? Curtis Williams can shoot the ball and brings good size. Kaleb Glenn is going to be a good player and is built to contribute as a freshman. Ty-Laur Johnson is a bit slight, but he's been nothing but solid in the limited minutes against limited competition I've seen him play. Dennis Evans has a lot to learn but perhaps more upside than anyone on the team than the five-star 7-footer.

Or maybe it's all fool's gold.

Some brake-tapping is required. Second-year coach Kenny Payne went with some different lineups. He didn't, for instance, start Tre White, who was the team's leading scorer after his first significant run on the court. (He finished with 12 points in 16 minutes). Payne went heavy on newcomers most of the time. Eight minutes into the half, he had transfer Skyy Clark and four freshmen on the floor.

It's a bit of a strange approach, for a team with eight newcomers and limited opportunities before some significant tests await. You'd think Payne would want to start to build the chemistry of the starting backcourt and begin to get a feel for rotations, regardless of who the opponent is.

But it's better than a loss. That much can be said for it. After some early jitters, Louisville led 44-16 at the half and after a shaky second half start, cruised on through. They had 22 turnovers, and that's a concern. They came in big bunches at the beginning of the game and beginning of the second half, but there were some clean stretches. And if the turnovers were too high, the 13 assists were too low.

Williams led the Cardinals with 15 points and made five of six from the field and three of four from beyond the arc. Mike James added 13 points and seven rebounds. Evans had nine points and nine rebounds with a pair of blocks. Clark had eight points and six assists.

Regardless, the final score looked the way it was supposed to look. And for this night, we'll take it as progress. It sure beats a year ago, when stunned fans left the KFC Yum! Center after a loss to Division II Lenoir-Rhyne wondering what the heck had happened.

They might still be wondering what is going to happen, and there's not much way to have more insight after this exhibition.

But, you know, it beats a loss.