Can Pat Kelsey get U of L fans back to filling the KFC Yum Center?
Fast-break points from the post-election rehash:
21. An existential dilemma for Kentucky fans. When No. 12 Tennessee visits Louisville on Saturday for a noon men’s basketball showdown, it will be a matchup between the two teams that many UK backers dislike the most.
20. Pat Kelsey challenges U of L fans. After the Cardinals blitzed Morehead State 93-45 Monday night in the new Louisville coach’s first game, Kelsey implored Cards fans to fill the KFC Yum Center for the UT contest.
19. A call for a crowd of 20,000. Following the Morehead State victory — a game that drew an announced crowd of 12,490 — Kelsey turned his attention to Tennessee. “Let’s have 20,000 (fans) in the Yum on Saturday,” he said.
18. Louisville’s recent home attendance. Kelsey’s comments made me curious about both the last time U of L drew a home crowd in excess of 20,000 and the most recent time the Cardinals had a sellout in the 22,090-seat KFC Yum Center.
17. A deep search. With U of L entering this season off three straight losing years and Cardinals fans having endured a succession of demoralizing men’s hoops scandals, Louisville home attendance has been soft in recent years. Yet I was surprised at how long it has been since the Cards sold out a home game.
16. Most recent crowd of more than 20,000. Not counting exhibitions, there have been 64 Louisville home games since the last time the Cardinals drew more than 20,000 at the Yum Center. A crowd of 21,079 saw Chris Mack’s second U of L team beat North Carolina 72-55 on Feb. 22, 2020.
15. Most recent home sellout. Meanwhile, there have been 119 U of L home contests since the last time the Cardinals announced a crowd at or above the official KFC Yum Center capacity of 22,090. On March 4, 2017, a crowd of 22,612 watched Louisville beat Notre Dame 71-64 in what would be Rick Pitino’s final home game as Cards coach.
14. The Pitino factor. In that 2016-17 season, U of L home games drew more than 20,000 fans 14 times. The Cardinals sold out the Yum Center for four games. Since Pitino’s ouster prior to the 2017-18 season, U of L has drawn in excess of 20,000 fans at home six times total and has never had a crowd in excess of 22,090.
13. Kelsey’s challenge. I fully expect the energetic new U of L head man to put a good product on the floor and do so as soon as this year. Whether that will be enough to reverse recent trends and get Louisville back to selling out its very large home arena will be fascinating to watch.
12. SEC men’s hoops. After an offseason of bluster about the Southeastern Conference being the best men’s basketball conference in the country in 2024-25, four SEC teams went down on the regular season’s first night.
11. Two ranked SEC teams beaten. No. 13 Texas A&M opened on the road at Big 12 foe Central Florida and took a 64-61 loss. No. 19 Texas was upset by unranked Ohio State, 80-72, on a neutral court in Las Vegas.
10. Another road loss and a bad home defeat. Missouri, coming off an 8-24 slog in 2023-24, lost at Memphis 83-75. South Carolina took the worst defeat of all, falling at home, 74-71, to North Florida.
9. A Kentuckian’s hot start. Former Covington Holy Cross High School star Jacob Meyer had a DePaul Blue Demons debut to remember Monday night.
8. A buzzer beater. Against Southern Indiana in what was the first game as DePaul head coach for Jessamine County’s Chris Holtmann, Meyer drained a trey with two seconds left to force overtime.
7. More heroics. In the OT, the 6-foot-2, 192-pound Meyer made two free throws with two seconds left in the extra period to give DePaul an 80-78 win. A transfer from Coastal Carolina, Meyer finished with 23 points.
6. The Man from Laramie. Now playing for Wyoming, former Kentucky and Western Kentucky wing Dontaie Allen started and played 25 minutes in the Cowboys’ 108-85 strafing of Concordia-St. Paul on Monday. The ex-Pendleton County star, Kentucky’s 2019 Mr. Basketball, made 2 of 8 shots, 1 of 6 treys, and scored five points.
5. Mark Pope. When Kentucky plays Bucknell on Saturday in Rupp Arena, the new UK head coach will be trying to overcome an obscure UK basketball “hex.”
4. The “alternating coach, second game curse.” Starting with Joe B. Hall in 1972-73, every other Kentucky men’s hoops head man has lost his second game on the UK bench. Hall lost to Iowa 79-66 in his second game. Rick Pitino fell to Indiana 71-69 in game two. Billy Gillispie was routed by Gardner-Webb 84-68 in his second contest. If the jinx holds, Pope would be next.
3. Kobe Brea. After going 4-of-4 on 3-pointers in UK’s 103-62 demolition of Wright State on Monday night, the former Dayton Flyers wing has now made 104 of the last 205 treys he has attempted in game competition.
2. Brandon Garrison. Kentucky’s 6-foot-10, 250-pound sophomore did something in the win over Wright State that one does not see every day from a backup center. The Oklahoma State transfer came off the bench to dole out five assists.
1. An early Cats-Cards tussle. In another Kentucky women’s basketball change accompanying Kenny Brooks’ first season as UK coach, the Wildcats are playing intrastate rival Louisville much earlier in the year than has been the custom. Brooks’ No. 22 Cats and Jeff Walz’s No. 17 Cardinals will face off at 6 p.m., Nov. 16, at Historic Memorial Coliseum.
In Brooks’ first big game as top Cat, UK will be seeking to snap a seven-game losing streak to U of L.
This story was originally published November 7, 2024 at 7:58 AM.
