LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- This time a year ago, in the middle of an eight-game losing streak to end the season, the Louisville basketball coach was talking about the mess he'd inherited and saying "In my world, inheriting what I inherited, this is really year No. 1 for me."
On Tuesday night in Blacksburg, Virginia, after Louisville had beaten Virginia Tech for the first time in seven tries by winning their sixth straight game and 15th in their past 16 games, the only mess first-year Louisville coach Pat Kelsey was talking about was the mess made by dry-erase ink that he'd forgotten to wash off his hands.
A reporter asked him to put into perspective how far the program has come. If I'd been there, I could've saved him the trouble.
Kelsey isn't looking back. He's not looking to the side. He's not reading this article.
"I appreciate the question," Kelsey said. "But we really never talk about that. We don't. We don't talk about the past. I mean, we respect our past. We honor our past. We honor the great, great players and teams and championships that have come from this great institution. But when people say, like, 'Well, what the record was last year?' We never, ever, ever talk about that. We always just talk about us in the present and what we're going to do in the next game. So, there'll probably come a time in the offseason when you can get above the trees and look back and appreciate kind of the type of season that we've had. But now is not the time."
It's not the time for him, maybe. But I have time.
Pat Kelsey at the preseason Louisville Live event in the KFC Yum! Center.
A common comment I get whenever I post the latest game story of a Louisville victory is some kind of variation on this: "They beat another bad ACC team."
And, you know, it's true. But there are a few reasons nobody at Louisville should apologize for any victory, or any accomplishment this team logs (not that anyone will).
First, all these "bad" teams? They were better than Louisville just one year ago. All of them. Virginia Tech? Beat Louisville by 16 on its home court in early March. The Hokies led by as many as 23 in the first half. Louisville went 8-24 against a schedule ranked No. 64 nationally by Ken Pomeroy's metrics last season. A year earlier, they went 4-28 against a schedule ranked No. 70. When Kelsey took over, Louisville had lost 42 of its previous 49 ACC games.
This season, Louisville is 22-6 against a schedule ranked No. 50. No apologies necessary. In the NCAA's NET ratings, the Cardinals are 12-6 against Quad 1 and 2 competition. A year ago, they were 0-10 against Quad 1 competition and 1-8 against Quad 2.
Fans here know enough basketball to keep wins over these teams in perspective. But they also know the larger perspective of where this program was. And to have a team that is more than respectable — and trending up with a roster full of guys who played in last season's NCAA Tournament and have hopes of advancing farther now that they've been brought together and figured themselves out as a team — is every bit cause for celebration in this city.
Second, Louisville is doing this without two players it expected to be key contributors. Koren Johnson was expected to be a reliable scorer and a backup to Chucky Hepburn at point guard. He played in only two games before being lost for the season to injury.
J'Vonne Hadley (1), Chucky Hepburn (24), Terrence Edwards Jr. (5) and Reyne Smith (6) head back out to the court after a timeout during the team's win over Clemson in the KFC Yum! Center.
Kasean Pryor was a big part of this team, emotionally and from a production standpoint. The 6-foot-10-inch forward who transferred from South Florida was averaging 12 points, 6.4 rebounds, two assists and a block per game. He had just moved into the starting lineup when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season's seventh game.
After those injuries, and a shoulder injury for Aboubacar Traore that kept him out for 10 games, it was tough to expect much from this Louisville team. At one point, they'd lost four out of five, and most optimistic estimates said if Kelsey could coax 18 wins out of this bunch, he'd have done wonders.
Instead, Kelsey has led Louisville back into the Top 25, at No. 19 after Tuesday's win.
Every win Louisville gets is gravy.
Third, Louisville fans deserve to enjoy this revival. They shouldn't worry about detractors.
When I was a kid, my mom would pile us all in the car and take us to see the Cincinnati Reds on Fan Appreciation Day. Going to Riverfront Stadium was a rare treat. And on this day, they'd roll all these prizes out onto the field and draw out ticket numbers after the game.
What Kelsey has built in Louisville in one short year may not be a Big Red Machine, but it has been a little red machine. His team has won 15 of its past 16. It went 9-2 on the road, with an average margin of 13 points per game — second-best in school history. It just finished a period in January and February in which it lost only once. Once. That's happened only three times at Louisville: in 1972, 1980 and 1983. All of those teams went to Final Fours, though they weren't coming off 8-24 seasons.
Kelsey likes to repeat an oft-quoted Skip Prosser line: "Never delay gratitude." Louisville, in its remaining three home games, needs to have some Fan Appreciation Games. But it's not appreciation from the program toward the fans. It's appreciation of the fans for the program.
Louisville students with University of Louisville president Kim Schatzel during the basketball program's Louisville Live event in the KFC Yum! Center.
This team is a one-year deal. Most of these guys will say goodbye after this season. But what they have given this school, program and city has been priceless. Those of us from here, who know the outsized impact of this program on this city, know it makes a difference.
I know games are expensive. These next three might not be sellouts. Whether they are or not, the atmosphere in that building should be electric, regardless of opponent.
Three wins would match Denny Crum for most victories for a first-year Louisville coach. They would make Louisville the winningest team in conference play in school history. And they would make good on that statement when Kelsey and his team shot a hype video in that empty arena before the season and the coach proclaimed, "Louisville basketball is back."
I don't know what constitutes "back." But what's happening at Louisville right now sure looks a whole lot like it.
Louisville Basketball Coverage:
- CRAWFORD | Messy but effective: Louisville grinds out 71-66 win at Va. Tech, earns ACC double-bye
- Louisville men get highest ranking since 2021, UK holds at No. 17 in new AP poll
- BOZICH | Can Duke, Louisville, Clemson save ACC's reputation in March?
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