Louisville Mens Basketball

“We knew that, traditionally, their DNA is the three-point shot, and the other important piece is the driving of the basketball and offensive rebounding. I am disappointed and frustrated that we worked on this for a few days and got in the game and did not execute,” said Payne. “It falls on me, the staff, the players, all of us. Nobody is without blame and we all are talking about how we hold each other accountable more than we already do.”

In their most recent matchup, the Cardinals fell short against DePaul with a final score of 75-68. However, Arkansas State comes into this game with some momentum after routing UAB 87-68 to end their three-game losing streak.

Head coach Kenny Payne expressed his disappointment with their performance, stating, “I was very disappointed in how we came out today. We prepared for this game, but it felt like we played for ourselves, not for Louisville. That’s a problem.”

Louisville is coming off a tough 75-68 road loss to Virginia Tech in their ACC opener. Meanwhile, DePaul is looking to bounce back after a 89-64 defeat at the hands of Texas A&M, marking their fifth consecutive loss.

Louisville head coach Kenny Payne acknowledged the Hokies’ dominance in the second half, stating, “They took the fight to us, especially in the second half. They’re a well-coached team, hard-fighting team, and hard to beat at home. I thought we did a lot of things well, but at critical times I just thought we made mistakes. Especially in the second half, they shot 48% and made 19 of 23 free throws. To me, that’s the game.”

The Cardinals are entering the contest with a two-game winning streak after securing victories against New Mexico State and Bellarmine. On the other hand, the Hokies have dropped their last two games against Florida Atlantic and Auburn.

After trailing 27-22 at halftime, Louisville came out strong in the second half, shooting an impressive 55% from the field and making 16 of 22 free throws. Junior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield commented on the team’s motivation, saying, “We just wanted to remember last year and how it went. Louisville vs. Bellarmine – we all knew what was at stake. They’re a very good team. A very, very disciplined team. So, we just wanted to have the right focus, one through 15. We just wanted to come out here and be different than last year, and I feel like we did that.”

Joining Louisville in the talented eight-team field will be Arizona, Creighton, Davidson, Gonzaga, Indiana, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. The matchups and television coverage for the tournament will be announced at a later date, building anticipation for the thrilling event.

– The Cardinals are coming off a thrilling overtime win against New Mexico State, with head coach Kenny Payne securing his first overtime victory. Meanwhile, Bellarmine suffered a close 62-58 loss on the road against West Virginia coached by former Cardinal assistant Scott Davenport.

The Cardinals’ success in this game was largely due to their performance at the free-throw line. They made an outstanding 36 of 49 attempts, drawing 40 fouls from New Mexico State – the most in program history. Head coach Kenny Payne expressed his pride in the team’s achievement, stating, “I’m proud of how they finished at the free-throw line late in the game. I’m proud of the fact that we won the game by being aggressive around the rim.”