Louisville returns to the court for the first time in 10 days when it hosts crosstown rival Bellarmine on Tuesday night.
The Cardinals (1-1) last played on Nov. 9, losing 77-55 to then-No. 12 Tennessee. The Volunteers dominated from the opening tip, shooting 56.6 percent from the field and making 10 of 19 3-point attempts. Louisville made only 26.7 percent of its shots overall, including 10 of 39 from beyond the arc.
Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey told reporters Monday that his team managed to stay sharp during the hiatus as it prepares for the Knights (0-4).
“Our guys responded the right way,” Kelsey said. “They knew where there was a lot of things that we had to improve on and we had to clean up. I loved our mentality and our approach.”
So far, Kelsey has been spreading out minutes to showcase an almost entirely new Cardinals roster. No one averages more than 25.5 minutes a game, and nine players are getting more than 15 minutes per contest.
Reyne Smith, who played under Kelsey for three seasons at Charleston before transferring to Louisville when his coach took over the program in March, is the Cardinals’ leading scorer at 15 points per game.
Bellarmine coach Scott Davenport is impressed with the team that Kelsey put together through the transfer portal.
“There is not just experience, but veteran experience from quality programs,” Davenport said. “These programs, I am sure, wish they had them back.”
Bellarmine, which moved up from Division II in 2020, is in its first season as an NCAA Tournament-eligible team. On Saturday, the Knights fell to Marshall, 83-62. The Thundering Herd used an 11-0 run to start the second half, breaking a 34-34 tie.
Jack Karasinski scored 20 points in the loss, and he paces Bellarmine with an average of 18.3 points per game.
One area of concern for the Knights early in the season has been perimeter defense. Opponents have connected on 38 of 88 3-point attempts against them (43.2 percent).
Fortunately for Bellarmine, Louisville has struggled from long distance, going just 21-for-75 (28 percent) from beyond the arc through its first two games.
