LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — This is the way it had to end for the University of Louisville men’s basketball team:
With the Cards unable to build on a halftime lead and compete against an ordinary Boston College team that competed without its leading scorer.
The Cards put the final wince on a entirely forgettable season by coming from ahead to lose to the Eagles, 80-62, Tuesday afternoon in their opening game of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament at the Greensboro (North Carolina) Coliseum.
They were slow getting back on defense. They were disinterested in doing the necessary work on the defensive boards. And the Cardinals made only 19 of 50 shots — 38%.
In the second half, coach Kenny Payne’s team did everything but wave a white flag as they were outscored, 49-28.
"They made us look bad because they played with more fire, more toughness and more fight," Payne said. "I thought at times they were the aggressor for most of the second half."
Louisville ended its season at 4-28 on a 5-game losing streak — and two losses to Boston College.
Boston College was without its best player — center Quinten Post, who was named the most improved player in the ACC on Monday. Post, a 7-footer, sat with a sprained ankle. Not that BC needed him.
"We thought we could drive the ball against them," BC coach Earl Grant said.
Drive the ball BC did. The Eagles outscored Louisville in the paint, 40-26. Of BC's 29 field goals, 18 were layups or dunks.
"In the first half we had more energy," U of L forward J.J. Traynor said. "We played harder. We got in the lane."
El Ellis led Louisville with 16 points. After scoring 24 points at Virginia Saturday, Mike James fouled out and scored eight.
"We were trying to make things tough (on James)," Grant said. "He wasn't in the post as much."
With Post on the sidelines, Louisville attacked the basket. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had his most productive half since December, scoring 11 points in the first half.
The Cards led 6-2 early before BC pushed back for a 25-15 lead as Ellis, the Cards’ leading scorer this season, did not have a field goal, missed his first five shots and did not score for more than 17 minutes.
Louisville outscored BC 19-6 over the final five minutes of the half, surging into the break with a 34-31 lead on a layup by Huntley-Hatfield in the final two seconds.
"I never thought we would lose this game" Payne said.
As usual, trouble loomed for the Cards. The teams traded the lead seven times in the next five minutes. But BC went ahead, 46-45, on a free throw by Jaeden Zackery with about 15 minutes to play and never trailed again.
In a season when Western Kentucky, Florida A&M, Georgia Tech and Clemson were the only four teams the Cardinals defeated, attention will turn to how Payne adjusts his roster for next season.
Expect a significant number of players to depart and for the Cards to be active in the transfer portal. He said he did not expect to make any changes to his coaching staff, which he still believes is one of the best in the country.
"For me, it's dealing with the realization the season is over," Payne said.
"Now I have to take the next few days and gather my thoughts and see how do I do this in a way that I bring back Louisville basketball to where it needs to be."
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
