Louisville looks for disciplined effort in ACC matchup at Florida State

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - Louisville men's basketball head coach Pat Kelsey often reverts back to lessons from his mentor, former Wake Forest and Xavier head coach Skip Prosser.

"The season is a lifetime," Kelsey said. "There's ups, there's downs, there's goods, there's bads. Babies are born, people die again.

"But throughout the course of that time, from June 5 when you come together to when the final buzzer sounds, the important thing is that you can continue to climb and continue to get better. There's going to be dips, there's going to be ups, there's going to be downs, there's going to be big wins, there's going to be gut-wrenching losses. That's just the way the season goes. I always say the results will take care of themselves, and we've experienced some really good wins, we've experienced some tough losses, but they've all been learning experiences and our guys are better because of it."

His first Cardinal team has had its hand forced in those lessons thanks to numerous injuries. The Cards are primarily playing a seven-man rotation after losing Koren Johnson and Kasean Pryor for the season. While meeting with reporters ahead of Saturday's road trip to Florida State, Kelsey also said Aboubacar Traore is making progress in recovering from a broken arm, but will not play vs. the Seminoles.

"It's important to keep our guys fresh," Kelsey said. "Everybody's banged up, not just the Louisville Cardinals. But obviously, there's that rhythm, that balancing act and that fine line between continuing to move the needle in practice with our competitiveness and our toughness, which is what we hang our hat on, and fine tuning our system on the offensive and defensive end."

"We're going out there and giving our all every game," Louisville point guard Chucky Hepburn said. "Just the way we've competed and battled, it gives us a lot of hope in saying that we're still going to be really good, especially when we play in the ACC. So no, we haven't got down on ourselves once. We're still believing each other, still playing really hard and practicing really hard. We have faith in each other and the coaches. That's all you need."

"These last couple weeks have been kind of a rediscovery of who we are because of the changes on our roster," Kelsey said. "And I think our guys have done a really, really good job of that."

Right now, using Ken Pomeroy's advanced metrics, Louisville is a top-70 team in the country in both offensive (66) and defensive (56) efficiency. Their tempo though ranks 133rd and is just a point above the Division I average. Thanks to shifting personnel, Kelsey and his staff have had to accept playing a bit slower with fewer possessions than they want to have.

"So, our pace has definitely changed a little bit," Kelsey said. "But that doesn't mean we're hut-hut hike, cuddling it up, walking up and running a set play every time. And even if you wanted to do that, you can't do that anyway against these guys, because they're just constantly coming after you and speeding you up and forcing the issue. They want to dictate you by their pressure."

Under longtime head coach Leonard Hamilton, Florida State has been known for its aggressive pressure and using its length to help disrupt opponents. Kelsey still sees that on display when studying the Seminoles, who rank 15th in the nation in turnovers forced per game (16.58).

"His teams always play so hard. This team is no different," Kelsey said of Hamilton and FSU. "They're long, they're athletic, they disrupt, they turn you over, they're deep. So, we really have to be on it, both on the offensive and defensive end."

"They're flying around defensively, so you kind of got to make the right play," Louisville guard Reyne Smith said. "And there's a lot of stuff that will be open. So, just kind of slowing down, driving in, knowing guys are coming to help, things like that, it's just kind of playing with good discipline."

Part of that challenge will be ensuring any potential Cardinal turnovers or missed shots don't immediately turn into Seminole points. In the 93-85 loss to No. 4 Kentucky, the Wildcats outscored the Cardinals 24 to 4 in fast-break points.

"I think that's an area that we didn't execute well against Kentucky, and that's an area that we definitely need to improve on," Kelsey said. "They hurt us in that area."

"No excuses, it was all on us," Hepburn said. "At the end of the day, we're out there playing, and we got to be able to just stop the ball in transition."

Hamilton's squad also shows aggression in how it likes to attack the basket and get to the charity stripe. Florida State ranks 10th nationally with 26.2 free throw attempts per game.

"Offensively, we have to play with great poise," Kelsey said. "And defensively, we have to meet that physical challenge."

It's something his team has shown it is not afraid to do, no matter who is or is not on the court. As the Cardinals continue this long journey of a season, their head coach is banking on the competitive character he seeks shining and leading to the results he wants.

"We're going to have grit, we're going to have toughness, we're going to compete all the time," Kelsey said. "That will never, ever change."