FIRST DRAFT | Rock. Chuck. Jayhawk. Kansas handles cold-shooting Louisville, 90-82

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – It was ugly — which isn’t against the law in an exhibition game. And losing to No. 19 Kansas, 90-82, isn’t quite the same as losing to Division II Lenoir-Rhyne.

But for a Louisville team ranked No. 11 in the preseason, Friday night’s highly anticipated exhibition opener showed there’s more work to do than that ranking implies. Which should come as no surprise.

The star of the show was Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson, who looked every bit like the No. 1 overall recruit in the country. He poured in 24 first-half points — 26 for the game — including 6 of 10 from 3-point range, and showed why some project him as a future top NBA Draft pick.

By halftime, Kansas coach Bill Self had seen enough, sitting Peterson for much of the second half.

Louisville’s own freshman phenom, Mikel Brown Jr., had a tougher go. Brown shot 2-for-15 from the field, including 2-of-10 from deep, and finished with 10 points. He played as if pressing to put on a show — not the measured, efficient version fans saw with Team USA over the summer.

The Cardinals shot just 33.3 percent from the field and 28.9% from 3-point range, and had to scramble late to get those numbers. Its shot selection left a bit to be desired. As did its interior defense. Louisville committed 20 turnovers, leading to 18 Kansas points, and was outscored 34-20 in the paint. They also gave up 10 fast-break points and trailed by double digits for most of the second half.

Despite all that, they were down just eight with two minutes to play, thanks in part to a solid showing from Ryan Conwell, who led U of L with 26 points but needed 21 shots to get those. He also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.

This one doesn’t count. But it definitely showed who’s closer to being ready.

KEY STATS

Field goal percentage: Kansas 50 (28-56), Louisville 33.3 (21-63)

Free throws: Kansas 26-33, Louisville 29-39

Rebounds: Louisville 47, Kansas 34

Points in the paint: Kansas 34, Louisville 20

Turnovers: Louisville 21, Kansas 18

Bench points: Kansas 25, Louisville 22

Halftime score: Kansas 46, Louisville 30

Biggest lead: Kansas 18 (19:47, second half)

Time with lead: Kansas 36:25, Louisville 2:16

Leading scorers: Kansas (Peterson 26, Tre White 14, Flory Bidunga 14). Louisville (Conwell 26, J'Vonne Hadley 13, Mikel Brown Jr. 10)