LOUISVILLE, Ky. — If you believe in good starts, then the way the University of Louisville began its season Monday night against South Carolina State portends good things.
The Cardinals did terrible things to South Carolina State in full view of the general public. And a Grinch. Not the kind in the opposing uniform. I mean an actual man in a furry green suit. Because even Whoville would’ve had a better shot than these guys.
Final score: Louisville 104, S.C. State 45.
Louisville led 13-0 before four minutes had ticked off the clock. The Cards made their first five shots, three of them from beyond the arc. S.C. State missed its first 12. Then it found another gear. Unfortunately it was reverse.
Louisville went up 27-4. After making three of four, S.C. State would go on to miss 17 more in a row.
It was 58-16 at halftime. According to local stat sage Kelly Dickey, that’s the largest halftime lead in Louisville history. They probably needed a historian on hand more than a sportswriter. Why am I here?
In the game’s first 32 minutes, S.C. State starters contributed as many points as the scorekeeper. That is to say, they had not scored any, just to be clear. They did have four in the game, so don't get the idea that they just came in here and didn't score.
With eight minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs had made just eight baskets. That’s less than a baker’s dozen if the baker was blindfolded and throwing dough into traffic.
Mikel Brown Jr. was dropping dimes like a busted vending machine. Isaac McKneely hit threes like he had a cheat code. Khani Rooths soared for dunks like … I’m not sure what he was like. I’m out of stupid comparisons. I told you it was late.
By the under-eight timeout, it was 85-26. Which read like an interstate exit, and felt like one, if you were South Carolina State: a long, bumpy detour to Frustration City.
At that point, Louisville had more made free throws (27) than South Carolina State had total points (26). They had more points from three-pointers (27) than South Carolina State had points (26), too.
And yet, the Cards didn’t clown. They didn’t go into showtime mode. They pressed like it was March, for the entire first half. They played to a standard. Like a team with real games on the horizon and no interest in garbage time.
"I was really proud of our guys in a game like that," Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said. "When you're up by a huge margin, it's easy to let your foot off the gas in the possession by possession process that we talk about. I kept reminding our guys that the score was 0-0, don't pay attention to results. Just be great in this next possession. ... Sometimes if it's 10 minutes left, and we're up by a bunch, then we just start playing, you know, just kind of hanging out. Then we take a step backwards."
You can call it a blowout. But it felt more like a public service announcement. Louisville basketball isn’t really coming to fool around.
At least they weren’t on opening night.
Even the officials seemed stunned. This whistle-happy trio called fouls like they hadn't heard about the time change. The game started at 9:05 p.m. but finished in another time zone.
What else? The pregame meal was good. Chicken or lasagna. The rolls, exceptional. Which was fitting, because Louisville rolled.
Khani Rooths led the Cards with 20 points and added seven rebounds. Isaac McKneely, whose back-to-back threes early set the tone, finished with 17. J’Vonne Hadley added 13, Ryan Conwell 12 and Mikel Brown 11 points to go with six assists.
The Cardinals shot 43.2 percent from the field, went 12 of 32 from three-point range and held South Carolina State to 22.8 percent. Louisville's 33 baskets came on 23 assists.
Next up for Louisville is a visit from Jackson State on Thursday night in the KFC Yum! Center, before welcoming rival Kentucky next Tuesday.
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