In one of the most anticipated exhibition games in the history of Louisville Basketball, the Cards hit the road for historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas to take on the Kansas Jayhawks.  Pat Kelsey completely revamped his approach in the offseason with an extra emphasis on rim protection and athleticism in the frontcourt.  Kelsey also remained constant in emphasizing that the revamped approach would not come at the cost of his team identity of playing transition basketball and three-point shooting. 

Kansas had won 58 straight exhibition games dating back to 1994.  That streak was snapped by Louisville on Wednesday night, with the Cards winning 89-83.  While it does not count towards the record, the experience of playing on the road in front of a sold out crowd and finding a way to escape with a win will prove monumental with the early season slate. 

Early on, Louisville looked like a team that was playing its first game together with 11 new faces.  The Cards were taking quick contested threes on the offensive end and giving up open looks on the defensive end.  Louisville marched out a starting five of Jackson Shelstad (Oregon), Seth Trimble (North Carolina), Adrian Wooley, Alvaro Folgueiras (Iowa) and Flory Bidunga (Kansas).    

Louisville fell behind 13-6 early as they tried to find the best lineup.  Carter Knox replaced Wooley early and hit Louisville’s first three pointer, with Folgueiras adding one as well.  Louisville transfer Tre White and superstar freshman Tyran Stokes were pacing the Jayhawks who looked comfortable at home early. 

Kelsey has stood by his mantras of “The Power of the Unit” and “25 Strong” in his tenure in The Ville.  Even with most of the roster being new to Louisville, the chemistry and bond they built in such a short time stood out.  The maturity of the roster also helped as the Cards stayed together and found their stride in the last ten minutes of the first half.

 A 7’2 reclassified blue chip in the Class of 2027, Obinna Ekezie Jr. came off the bench and was an instant spark.  He had seven points, including a three-pointer and six rebounds to lead the Cards in the first half.  He would catch fire in the second half and end the night with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three.  He also pulled down eight rebounds and protected the rim with a team leading five blocks. 

De’Shayne Montgomery (Dayton transfer) also came off the bench in the first half to provide an offensive spark.  The Cards trailed 22-17 when the forward checked in and he scored seven of the Cards next nine to pull the game within 27-25 with six minutes left in the half.  Montgomery ended the night with 10 points. 

The rest of the first half was a back-and-forth affair with Stokes leading the way for the Jayhawks and Shelstad for the Cards.  Going into the break Kansas held a narrow 37-36 lead.  Louisville shot 40.6% from the field in the first half and 31.3% (5-16) from three. 

The Cards caught fire from deep to start the second half.  They would hit five threes (Shelstad 2, Folgueiras 1, Wooley 2) and go on a 21-10 run to race ahead 58-47 with 13:31 left.  Tre White would continue his hot shooting night and keep the Jayhawks in it, finishing with 25 points.  Melvin Council pitched in 20 and Stokes finished with 15. 

Ekezie proved to be too much, hitting three of his four three pointers in the last 12 minutes.  Whenever the Jayhawks pulled close, Louisville stepped up; whether it be Karter Knox with a layup, a Shelstad bucket or a Ekezie dunk.  Bidunga had a quiet night only scoring five points and pulling down four rebounds, but his present was massive on the defensive side.

Trimble scored six of his 12 points in the closing minutes to put the icing on the cake of the big road win.   Shelstad finished with 23 points, going 4-of-8 from three.  Louisville finished the night going 48.3% (29-60) from the field and 46.7% (14-30) from three.  Each team had 42 rebounds.  The Cards had 35 bench points to Kansas’ 13, but the Jayhawks had 40 paint points to Louisville’s 20. 

Overall Louisville looked like a much more cohesive team than they did a season ago.  Everyone who entered the game contributed positively in some way.  The chemistry was visible and this team seems to be ahead of the curve in preparation for a tough opening half of the schedule.

 The Cards will be back in action for their second exhibition a week from tonight (Wednesday, Oct.28) at 7 pm in the KFC Yum! Center hosting Mercyhurst.  The game will be streamed on ACCNX.