‘It’s how I was raised’ Pat Kelsey on how competition is in his DNA
Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey talks about how competition is in the DNA of the Cardinal’s basketball program.
Coverage from the game:
Louisville basketball dispatches pesky Eastern Kentucky, prepares for bulk of ACC schedule
Coverage during the game:
Louisville basketball wraps up what has been a grueling nonconference schedule against an in-state opponent.
The Cardinals (7-5) host Eastern Kentucky (6-6) today in their final game of 2024. Tipoff is scheduled for noon at the KFC Yum! Center.
Having pulled off a road win against Florida State on Dec. 21, Pat Kelsey‘s team took some time off for the holidays this week. But the grind is about to kick into high gear again, with a New Year’s Day matchup against North Carolina ushering in the bulk of ACC play.
“We still got to stay locked in and ready for what’s to come,” Terrence Edwards Jr. told The Courier Journal after U of L’s victory in Tallahassee. “We’ve got a lot of games coming up that we really need to win to try to get our spot in March.”
Led by seventh-year coach A.W. Hamilton, EKU enters the weekend 227th out of 364 on KenPom.com‘s adjusted efficiency rankings. The Colonels, who were picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference’s preseason poll, have played two ACC teams to this point, Clemson and Pittsburgh, and lost both games by an average of 26.5.
This will be the 76th meeting between Louisville and Eastern Kentucky — a series that dates back to 1919.
Follow along below with live updates from the Yum! Center:
Here’s a look at the final box score:
And here’s a look at Noah Waterman‘s decisive basket with only 1.2 seconds remaining:
Here’s a look at the first-half box score:
Here’s a look at one of the plays that helped the Cards extend their lead back to double digits after the Colonels pulled within three points at the 6:24 mark:
U of L’s Aboubacar Traore checked into a game for the first time since Nov. 9 with 13:13 remaining in the first half. After getting a nice ovation from the Yum! Center crowd, he was called for traveling on his first possession.
Here are U of L’s starters:
Here are EKU’s starters:
- George Kimble III
- Jackson Holt
- Mayar Wol
- Devontae Blanton
- Montavious Myrick
After a 10-game absence due to a broken left arm, senior forward Aboubacar Traore has been cleared to play again, the team announced in a statement before tipoff.
Traore, a 6-foot-5 native of the Ivory Coast, fractured his arm during Louisville’s 10-day break between a loss to Tennessee on Nov. 9 and a win over Bellarmine on Nov. 19. The Long Beach State transfer has appeared in only 37 minutes for the Cards to this point, totaling three points 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal.
The officials for today’s game are: Bert Smith, Tony Henderson and Clare Aubry.
The game between the Cards and the Colonels will air on The CW (WBKI-TV). To check your local listings, click here.
Evan Lepler (play-by-play) and Seth Davis (analyst) will be on the call.
Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) will have the call on the Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9-FM and WGTK 970-AM in Louisville).
You can also listen online via GoCards.com.
Betting odds: Louisville is a 19 ½-point favorite (-110) on BetMGM, which set the over/under at 155 ½ points (-110). The money line odds are U of L -3000, EKU +1200.
Score predictions: KenPom gives the Cards a 94% chance of winning and projects an 86-69 final score in their favor. BartTorvik.com is also forecasting a Louisville victory (90%), with a projected final score of 85-69.
Follow the instructions below to submit a question to our Louisville basketball mailbag:
Questions can also be submitted via email (bholton@gannett.com) and X, formerly Twitter, to @brooksHolton.
- Monday, Oct. 21:Â vs. Young Harris College (exhibition) |Â SCORE:Â Louisville 106, Young Harris College 59
- Monday, Oct. 28:Â vs. Spalding (exhibition) |Â SCORE:Â Louisville 99, Spalding 54
- Monday, Nov. 4:Â vs. Morehead State |Â SCORE:Â Louisville 93, Morehead State 45
- Saturday. Nov. 9:Â vs. Tennessee |Â SCORE:Â Tennessee 77, Louisville 55
- Tuesday, Nov. 19:Â vs. Bellarmine |Â SCORE:Â Louisville 100, Bellarmine 68
- Friday, Nov. 22:Â vs. Winthrop |Â SCORE:Â Louisville 76, Winthrop 61
- Wednesday, Nov. 27:Â vs. Indiana (Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise, Bahamas)Â |Â SCORE:Â Louisville 89, Indiana 61
- Thursday, Nov. 28:Â vs. West Virginia (Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise, Bahamas)Â |Â SCORE:Â Louisville 79, West Virginia 70
- Friday, Nov. 29:Â vs. Oklahoma (Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise, Bahamas)Â |Â SCORE:Â Oklahoma 69, Louisville 64
- Tuesday, Dec. 3:Â Ole Miss (SEC/ACC Challenge)Â |Â SCORE:Â Ole Miss 86, Louisville 63
- Sunday, Dec. 8:Â vs. Duke |Â SCORE:Â Duke 76, Louisville 65
- Wednesday, Dec. 11:Â vs. UTEP |Â SCORE:Â Louisville 77, UTEP 74
- Saturday, Dec. 14:Â at Kentucky |Â SCORE:Â Kentucky 93, Louisville 85
- Saturday, Dec. 21:Â at Florida State | SCORE: Louisville 90, Florida State 76
- Saturday, Dec. 28:Â vs. Eastern Kentucky, noon, The CW
- Wednesday, Jan. 1:Â vs. North Carolina, 6 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, Jan. 4:Â at Virginia, 4 p.m., ACC Network
- Tuesday, Jan. 7:Â vs. Clemson, 7 p.m., either ESPN2 or ESPNU
- Saturday, Jan. 11:Â at Pittsburgh, either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
- Tuesday, Jan. 14:Â at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, Jan. 18:Â vs. Virginia, either ESPN or ESPN2
- Tuesday, Jan. 21:Â at SMU, 9 p.m., ACC Network
- Tuesday, Jan. 28:Â vs. Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, Feb. 1:Â at Georgia Tech, 3:45 p.m., The CW
- Wednesday, Feb. 5:Â at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, Feb. 8:Â vs. Miami
- Wednesday, Feb. 12:Â at N.C. State, 7 p.m., either ESPN2 or ESPNU
- Sunday, Feb. 16:Â at Notre Dame, 8 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, Feb. 22:Â vs. Florida State, noon, The CW
- Tuesday, Feb. 25:Â at Virginia Tech, 9 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, March 1:Â vs. Pittsburgh, either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
- Wednesday, March 5:Â vs. California, 9 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, March 8:Â vs. Stanford, ESPNU
- Tuesday, March 11, through Saturday, March 15:Â ACC Tournament (Spectrum Center; Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Frank Anselem-Ibe (center, fifth year)
- Patrick Antonelli (guard, fifth year)
- Terrence Edwards Jr. (guard/forward, fifth year)
- J’Vonne Hadley (guard, fifth year)
- Chucky Hepburn (guard, senior)
- Koren Johnson (guard, junior)
- Aly Khalifa (center, senior, redshirt)
- Spencer Legg (guard, junior)
- Aidan McCool (guard, graduate student)
- Kasean Pryor (forward, fifth year)
- Kobe Rodgers (guard, senior, redshirt)
- Khani Rooths (forward, freshman)
- James Scott (forward, sophomore)
- Cole Sherman (guard, junior)
- Reyne Smith (guard, senior)
- Aboubacar Traore (forward, senior)
- Noah Waterman (forward, sixth year)
Click here to see the Colonels’ complete schedule.
Click here to see the Colonels’ complete roster.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
