LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The numbers frame it simply enough. No. 6-ranked Louisville enters Friday night ranked No. 2 in the nation in offensive efficiency. Cincinnati sits at No. 2 in defense. Something has to give inside the Heritage Bank Center, the old Riverfront Coliseum.
Pat Kelsey doesn't need a stat sheet to tell him that. He grew up in Cincinnati. He's seen this movie before, muscle against motion, tempo against toughness, offense trying to find air against a defense that wants to steal its breath.
"You've got to be on it," he said, "because they turn you over, they deflect, they disrupt, they protect the rim. There's a reason they're No. 2 in the country."
For him, it's less a homecoming than a cultural collision. He's not coaching nostalgia; he's coaching an identity that was formed in this city, where basketball games have long been decided by who hits the floor first, not who hits the most threes.
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He remembers the elevator getting stuck at his first UC–Xavier game. He remembers Huggins vs. Gillen and the old line after a Xavier upset of No. 1 Cincinnati: "UC may be No. 1 in the country, but tonight they're No. 2 in the city."
That's the crucible that shaped him, and, on Friday, he walks back into it, this time as part of another rivalry, the longest-running and most played in Louisville basketball history. This will be their 101st meeting and first since hooking up in the Maui Invitational in 2022.
Kelsey won't be alone in his familiarity.
Louisville point guard Kobe Rodgers grew up across town, a St. Xavier High School graduate who now wears Louisville red while his coach still bleeds Elder purple. The trash talk between them has been playful and predictable, especially this week, when the schools' football programs will be playing just down the road Friday night in Paycor Stadium.
"He's doing most of the talking," Rodgers said with a grin. "St. X is going to win. It's just a matter of how ugly it gets."
Rodgers called the Bearcats "a junkyard-dog team ... scrappy, willing to dive on the loose ones." That's also how he describes himself — a role player who gives quick energy, guards full-court, dives on the floor, keeps the starters fresh for the final minutes.
"We'd rather be over-physical than not physical enough," he said.
Ryan Conwell, a transfer from Xavier, knows the other side of the rivalry, too. He's faced Cincinnati every season of his college career. His scout was simple: rebound, value the ball, match their physicality.
Cincinnati isn't without familiar faces. Kerr Kriisa, a reserve point guard from Kentucky last season before being injured, now starts for the Bearcats.
"They crash the glass hard," Conwell said. "They're long and athletic. It's about keeping the main thing the main thing."
So, yes, Kelsey is back home. But what makes this night compelling isn't sentiment — it's symmetry.
A Cincinnati-bred coach leading his up-tempo team into a city that taught him how to coach it. A hometown guard facing his own streets wearing Louisville colors. A former Xavier player trying to beat UC one more time.
Kelsey joked that half his family might skip the game to watch the football game. That's fine. They'd recognize this one, too.
Because whatever the scoreboard says, Friday night will look familiar, elbows, bodies, loose balls, noise.
But hopefully, if you're Louisville, it's also a chance to take your offensive show on the road and earn more positive reviews.
How to Watch
- Game: Louisville (4–0) vs. Cincinnati (4–0)
- When: Friday, Nov. 21, 6:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio (17,556 capacity)
- TV: ESPN2 — Kevin Brown (play by play), Jay Williams (analyst). Streaming: ESPN app.
- Radio: Cardinal Sports Network. 93.9 The Ville FM — William McDermott (play by play), Bob Valvano (analyst)
- Favorite: Louisville by 2.5 at FanDuel and other sports books
- Tickets: Upper arena seats are $45. Order by clicking here.
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