Pat Kelsey chose to focus on the little things as a result of Louisville Basketballof the lopsided defeat at the hands of the number 1 at the time. 23 Tennessee on December 16.
“Believe it or not, the sun came up yesterday,” he told host Paul Rogers during a Dec. 18 episode of his radio show. “I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to happen, but it did.”
Advertisement
Kelsey had to call out during the first segment of the show. He was late – he lost track of time while debriefing with a member of his team after a major training session at Planet Fitness Kueber Center.
“There is no doubt in my mind and in my heart that this team – this Louisville Cardinals team – has a chance to be really, really special,” he said. “…The mentality of the guys today – the aggressiveness, the drive in practice – told me everything I needed to know about our team.”
Sure enough, UofL (10-2) bounced back with a 94-54 victory against Montana this weekend at KFC Yum! Center. The mood is good as the Christmas holidays approach; but, if the goal is to reach the Final Four for the first time since they won it all in 2013, the Cards will have to find another gear against high-level competition.
“You have to be able to win games in different ways,” Kelsey told Rogers. “If it’s ugly and it’s a tractor shot, as I like to say, you know what a tractor shot is? (You have to) work. Sometimes you have to be able to win a game like that, and that’s a lesson we have to learn.”
Advertisement
It is in this spirit that we envisage ACC play, starting with a two-game West Coast road trip against California (9 p.m. Dec. 30) and Stanford (8 p.m. Jan. 2). After that, the biggest home game remaining on the schedule: a 7 p.m. tipoff on Jan. 6 against defending conference champion Duke.
The numbers indicate that the ACC shouldn’t be as simple as it was during Kelsey’s first go-around. Louisville was one of 14 members ranked in the top 100 in the NET as of December 19 – compared to half the league finishing outside the top 100 last season.
Here are three questions facing the Cards as they prepare for the start of conference play:
Can Louisville basketball improve its physicality?
Tennessee forward Jaylen Carey (23) is fouled by Louisville forward Kasean Pryor (7) during a college basketball game between Tennessee and Louisville held at Thompson-Boling Arena at the Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee on December 16, 2025.
Tennessee and then-No. 23 Arkansas has laid the foundation to beat Louisville: hit the Cards in the mouth first and don’t let up on the physical side.
Advertisement
How does Kelsey plan to fight him? “You have to fight fire with fire,” he told radio analyst Bob Valvano after the loss to the Volunteers, a game his team led for more than 37 minutes and by as much as 25 points.
UT outscored UofL, 35-30, and owned a 42-30 advantage in paint points. The Razorbacks won the rebounds, 46-36, and finished +18 in second-chance scoring, 27-9. Simply put: it won’t be enough in March.
Kelsey praised his players for finally matching Tennessee’s physicality on the glass — albeit “too little, too late.” But it was hard for him to see that as a glimmer of hope when he saw disappointment on the defensive end over the final 20 minutes, when the Vols averaged 1.441 points per possession on 58.3 percent shooting from the field and 60 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Four Louisville attackers, Kasean Pryor, Khani Roots, Vangelis Zougris And Ali Khalifacombined for just three points and failed to grab a rebound in 32 minutes of running time in Knoxville. A great German man Sananda Frumeanwhile, tied a season low in rebounds (five) and was held to a season-low four points on 2-for-3 shooting in 28 minutes.
Advertisement
As a result, Kelsey said he made it a point to get those guys more involved during the Cards’ first practice after the loss.
“I tell them first of all, ‘The only way to get touches is to go for rebounds. The more rebounds you can get, those are assists for you,'” the coach told Rogers on his Dec. 18 radio show. “…In the pick and roll, we can give them the ball more on the rollers.
“We have to give them the ball a little more on post-ups,” he continued, “either after the pick and roll or after special situation type set plays. We can still play our normal cutting game even if the ball is in the post. … They can look to score, (and) we can also look to play with action on the floor while the ball is in the post – almost like you’re knocking down our offense.”
His plan came to fruition (pun intended) in the win over Montana. Fru made his first nine shots en route to a season-high 18 points at a 9-for-11 clip. Keep an eye out for how UofL implements these wrinkles into its offense going forward — and if it can fight fire with jump fire instead of having to play catch-up.
Advertisement
Will Louisville basketball experience a defensive “movement”?
December 3, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (7) drives to the basket as Louisville Cardinals guard JÕVonne Hadley (1) defends during the first half at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
During Louisville’s undefeated campaign last January, Kelsey often talked about a “movement” happening among members of his freshman roster: defensive ownership.
“It starts in the mind and heart of every player who wears the Louisville jersey,” the coach said at the time. “Getting saves is important, taking care of their assignment is important, catching a mistake from your teammate is important.
“Defense is an attitude; and our guys have been playing with that little chip on their shoulder for most of the last month and a half.”
At the start of the 2025-26 campaign, Kelsey told reporters he hoped that mindset would be his team’s “stinking identity.” There have been flashes – see: neutral-site wins over Cincinnati and Indiana – but it has yet to take root.
Advertisement
As soon as possible would be good. Go away KenPom.comBy Kelsey’s efficiency measure, the loss to Tennessee was the Cards’ fourth-worst defensive performance in Kelsey’s tenure (120.4).
In its first five games against top-tier opponents, UofL has given up 80.4 points per (62nd percentile, according to CBBAnalytics.com) on an effective success percentage of 51.1% (74th percentile). Its issues range from lack of premium perimeter caps like Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr.being physically outmatched in the post and allowing offensive drops to have an impact on the other end of the court.
“This absolutely cannot happen,” Kelsey said.
So everyone needs to get involved.
Advertisement
How will Louisville basketball’s non-conference recovery hold up during Selection Sunday?
Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) drives to the basket during the second half as the Louisville Cardinals hosted the Kentucky Wildcats at the KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday, November 11, 2025. The Cardinals defeated the Wildcats 96-88.
Kelsey and her team approached the building Louisville Unconference Schedule with a mindset like, “You can’t sharpen your teeth by eating oatmeal.” In July, the coach told reporters that he wanted those responsible for creating the 2026 NCAA Tournament to know during Selection Sunday that the Cards “didn’t dodge smoke.”
“I don’t know if this will end up being the best strategy in the world, but that’s what we’ve decided,” he added. “Bring it.”
However, as of December 20, KenPom considered the list (+1.58, 134th) weaker than last year’s (+7.18, 38th).
Advertisement
Sure, it was nice to sweep rivals Kentucky, Cincinnati, Indiana and Memphis by a combined margin of 53 points. But there were only two Quad 1 wins in the group: the Wildcats and the Hoosiers, who were outside the NET top 30 heading into the final stretch of non-conference play. The Bearcats and Tigers, meanwhile, were ranked as Quad 3 opponents.
UofL dropped the aforementioned Quad 1 opportunities to Arkansas and Tennessee by a combined margin of 30 points. His other six wins so far fell in Quad 4.
How will his CV hold up in March? The ACC has improved; but, as Kelsey & Co. learned last seasonit would be unwise to assume that a good run in the conference means a favorable seed for the Big Dance.
Look on the bright side: This time last year, the Cards were ranked 61st in the NET and owned a 2-5 record in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games. Now, they enter the Christmas break ranked in the top 20 with 15 matchups of this variety still to come. Not saying this schedule was much harder – yet; the NET is updated daily.
Advertisement
As of Dec. 20, Louisville was on track to play as many Quad 1 and Quad 2 games as it had under its belt in last season’s ACC Tournament on the 19th.
Contact Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article was originally published in the Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball and Pat Kelsey face questions ahead of ACC schedule
