Kenny “Pain’s” First Season Thursday, Jan 26 2023 

ACC and basketball and Cardinals and El Ellis and IARP and Kenny Payne and Louisville and MBB and NCAA and purdue and rankings and sports and u of l and WKU Spencer Laws 8:38 pm

By Spencer Laws

Any fan who thought this first season under first-year head coach Kenny Payne was going to be seamless was thinking unrealistically.

It seems Louisville Men’s Basketball has been able to run into every possible bump in the road in recent memory. These bumps have seemed to ensue from recent scandals that have set the program back in multiple aspects, including everything from postseason bans, recruiting restrictions, and most significantly, a vacated National Championship.

The fans have unquestionably been dragged through the mud since the first developments came out of the Katina Powell scandal. 

A mission to restore the legacy of a program

This season seemed like the turning of a page, the spring of a new era for Louisville Basketball for the program and the fanbase.

The fans and the city got the consensus favorite to take over the head coaching position. Louisville alumni and national champion, Kenny Payne, would be given the keys to the program. Hopefully, he would eventually restore the legacy. 

The KP hiring, along with the constant IARP ruling being held over the head of the program, has finally been resolved. The retribution the program will have to pay was considered minor in many regards. 

The hope seemed higher than it probably should’ve been. However, can you blame a fanbase that has experienced what it has over the last decade? Different pieces were brought in this off-season as others departed. Former four-star Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was the most notable name to add to the Cardinal roster.

The issues start piling on

There was still one missing piece that KP and staff needed to address, though: a point guard.  It seemed that Payne and his new staff struck out on high-level point guards in the transfer portal. 

This should’ve been the first sign of another long season for Cards fans. 

This issue resulted in Payne having to put senior El Ellis in the point guard position, handing him the responsibilities of facilitating the offense and handling the ball. Last year, we saw Ellis thrive in more of a shooting guard position. He worked off the ball, not having to dictate the Cardinal offense under his own power.

Reality set in from the start. Division II Lenoir-Rhyne came to the Yum and left with a 10-point win in the first scrimmage of the year for the Cards. 

Payne and company were able to “bounce” back and win their next scrimmage against another division II opponent, Chaminade.

Like me, most fans had to look up where these schools were even located and what level of competition they even competed in before the games started.

And yet, they continue

After this, the regular season started and the nightmare began. It started out with laughable results of back-to-back-to-back one point losses. Tag on six more to go with the first three.

The Kenny Payne era was 0-9 starting out. 

This is where I will reference the statement I began this article with — no fan with a realistic mind thought that the Cards were heading to the NCAA tournament much less the NIT this season.  

However, no one saw it taking 10 games for KP to get his first win as head coach. When that first win finally came, it felt good for Card Nation. The squad was able to take down in-state Western Kentucky on December 14. 

The team then doubled its total in the win column, this time overcoming Florida A&M on December 17. You could argue this was the last good thing to come out of the program up to this point in the season. 

A fanbase left with questions

From that point on we have seen time and time again a team that really doesn’t seem like they want to compete. This team portrays little effort and grit in a lot of different circumstances. 

The list of things wrong with this team goes on and on, but at what point does KP start to feel the heat? Does he get a pass this year because it’s his first year and the program was remodeled in the offseason? 

The abysmal 2-17 record is something the Louisville fanbase has never had to experience on the hardwood, or really any Power Five fanbase has had to face. Back in 2002, Ken Pomeroy created a website tracking many different statistical aspects of college basketball. This season we have seen this team fall below any previous Power Five team statistically.

So we address the same question again: when does Kenny Payne start to feel the heat? Is his job safe after this atrocious season ends? 

The notion lately has been that the generation of players and recruits don’t know or respect the legacy that truly is Louisville basketball. Kenny Payne played in the heyday of Louisville basketball; he helped form and create that legacy for those that came after him. So how does that argument hold up having one of our own lead the program?

The next argumentative point fans point out is that this team just doesn’t have enough talent to compete at a high level. 

On paper, by 247Sports, the Cards don’t have a single player ranked above 132 coming out of high school, excluding Hercy Miller (who wasn’t ranked). Along with that statistic, the Cards roster consists of six players ranking outside the top 90 in their respective classes. 

There are a few counters to this point: the current number-one team in the country, Purdue, lines up with an uneven roster in recruiting. While their squad looks unqualified on paper, Purdue has launched itself as a potential number-one seed come March. 

I understand these two programs are in two very different situations. However, this point needs to be brought up and talked about. 

The bottom line

It’s still hard to hear fans defend Payne past the point of, “it’s his first year”.

Fans knew this season wasn’t going to be the brightest in a lot of aspects, but many feel that more bad has been done than good.

Photo Courtesy // Spencer Laws, The Louisville Cardinal //

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Louisville baseball will keep their three game winning streak going into this weekends’ game series Wednesday, Mar 24 2021 

Athletics and Baseball and cards and Louisville and sports and students and UofL and Western Kentucky and WKU Hannah Walker 12:00 pm

By: Hannah Walker–

The No. 6 Louisville Cardinal’s baseball team played against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Mar. 23. The game was held at Jim Patterson Stadium in honor of breast cancer awareness night. Louisville won with a final score of 13-6.

At the start of the game, U of L sophomore Luke Smith was the starting pitcher. He was successfully able to face 11 batters and make 3 strikes during the first three innings. Overall, a decent start on defense for the Cardinals.

The game was neck-to-neck during the first five innings of the game. WKU started off with one point earned during the top of the first inning. Louisville followed in suit during the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore catcher Henry Davis grounded out to second base and junior outfielder Luke Brown scored.

No points were made during the second and third inning, but that was no problem for either team. U of L was able to score two points during the bottom of the fourth inning. Sophomore infielder Alex Binelas and junior infielder/outfielder Lucas Dunn added points to the scoreboard.

WKU continued to stay on Louisville’s toes when they made a homerun to left center during the top of the fifth inning. However, U of L was able to score three points of their own during the bottom of the fifth inning. Sophomore infielder Cooper Bowman and Binelas both helped to put Louisville in the lead.

U of L stayed strong throughout the remainder of the game, with the help of Bowman making a homerun to left field during the bottom of the sixth inning. U of L continued to stay headstrong when they made another two points during the bottom of the seventh inning as well.

During the eighth inning, Louisville was able pull a final seven-point lead. Freshman infielder Christian Knapczyk advanced to third and scored, and junior outfielder Trey Leonard scored as well.

During the postgame interview, head coach Dan McDonnell commented on how he feels going into the weekend game series with the winning streak his team has going for them.

“Every game is important, and we just didn’t play well last week. We’re good, but we’re not good enough to take our foot off the break pedal. We have to be the hunter, we have to be the aggressor, and we have to have the edge.”

Louisville baseball will play their next game against Notre Dame this weekend starting Mar. 26 at 4:00 p.m in hopes of keeping their winning streak.

Photo Courtesy of Justin Krueger//U of L Athletics

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Cardinals vs. Miami kickoff time changed to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sep 14 2020 

coral gables and Football and Miami and Micale Cunningham and sports and u of l and university of alabama birmingham and University of Miami and uofl football and WKU John McCarthy 12:30 pm

By John McCarthy–

The University of Louisville Cardinals football game Sept. 19 has had its kickoff time changed to 7:30 p.m. This match-up marks the beginning of ACC conference play.

Kickoff would have started at 3:30 p.m., however sudden time change came after the week two rankings came out Sept. 13. With the Cardinals and Hurricanes both in the top 20 of the country, this match-up is becoming quite the spectacle.

Miami (1-0) won their first game of the season against the University of Alabama-Birmingham Sept. 12, and enter week two No. 17 in the country. The Cardinals displayed a powerful offensive performance against WKU with a two-touchdown victory Sept. 12, putting up 35 points on their home turf. U of L enters week two right behind the Hurricanes at No. 18 in the country.

Miami has gotten the best of Louisville all-time, winning ten games while the Cardinals have only won three. The last time Louisville and Miami faced off , was in Coral Gables, Fla. during the 2019 season. Miami came away with the victory in that bout, but the Cardinals plan to redeem themselves.

With offensive juggernaut Micale Cunningham, the Cardinals will look to rewrite history this Saturday at Cardinal Stadium.

Photo Courtesy of ACC Media

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Louisville’s Cardinals hold off WKU in season opener Sunday, Sep 13 2020 

Braden Smith and Cardinal Stadium and Dez Fitzpatrick and Ean Pfeifer and Football and Hassan Hall and Javian Hawkins and Marshon Ford and Micale Cunningham and Tutu Atwell and University of Miami and UofL and uofl football and Western Kentucky University and WKU John McCarthy 1:07 am

By John McCarthy–

The University of Louisville Cardinals football team defeated the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers 35-21 at Cardinal Stadium in the first game of the season.

WKU put points on the board first with a rushing touchdown at the Cardinals’ goal line to go up 7-0. U of L struck right back with a pass from junior Micale Cunningham to Ean Pfeifer for a 28-yard touch pass to put the score at 7-7. At the end of the first quarter, Cunningham had completed 6 of his 11 passes and threw for 181 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Braden Smith had two receptions for 111 yards.

The Cardinals picked up where they left off in the second quarter. Cunningham rushed in for a 14-yard touchdown only six seconds into the second quarter to put the score at 14-7. Five minutes later, sophomore running back Javian Hawkins rushed in for a 19-yard touchdown to put U of L up 21-7 over the Hilltoppers.

Near the end of the second quarter, Cunningham completed a pass to sophomore Marshon Ford for the touchdown with only 42 seconds left in the half. Louisville was in the driver seat going into half time with a score of 28-7. WKU was scoreless in the second quarter.

Western Kentucky bounced back in the third quarter after a one-yard rushing touchdown to cut the deficit to 14 points. The Cardinals fired back with a 70-yard completion from Cunningham to senior wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick for a touchdown. Louisville led Western Kentucky 35-14 going into the final quarter of play.

Louisville’s defense held up in the fourth quarter only allowing a 12-yard touchdown pass for the Hilltoppers. U of L ended up coming away with a two-touchdown lead to secure the victory 35-21.

Cunningham threw for 343 yards and gathered three touchdowns. Junior running back Hassan Hall ran for 66 yards on six carries. Fitzpatrick and Smith both grabbed four catches for 110 yards apiece. Junior wide receiver Tutu Atwell totaled 78 yards on seven catches.

The Cardinals will begin ACC conference play next week when they take on the University of Miami Hurricanes Sept.19. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Cardinal Stadium. Louisville will look to avenge their loss from last season when they visited the Hurricanes in Coral Gables, Fla.

Photo Courtesy of ACC Media 

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U of L looks to start 2020 football season with another historic victory over WKU Friday, Sep 11 2020 

ACC and Atlantic Coast Conferenc and Bowling Green and Cardinals and Clemson Tigers and Football and Hilltoppers and ky and Louisville and Ogden College and sports and Sun Belt Conference and u of l and uofl football and Virginia Tech Hokies and Western Kentucky University and WKU John McCarthy 12:00 pm

By John McCarthy–

The 2020 football season marks another year that the University of Louisville football team begins the season against Western Kentucky University’s Hilltoppers.

U of L comes into this commonwealth matchup ranked 20th in the ESPN preseason rankings. They are pre-ranked third in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind the Clemson Tigers and Virginia Tech Hokies.

The Hilltoppers enter the 2020 season ranked 50th in the ESPN preseason rankings. The Hilltoppers have a 9.5% chance of winning out the Sun Belt Conference and an 11.6% chance of taking home a victory over the Cardinals on Sept. 12.

In 1926, the Cardinal reported on when U of L made the trek to Bowling Green, Ky. to take on Ogden College, now part of WKU.

U of L entered the 1926 match up with high expectations. They took home the victory 79-0 against Ogden. The Cardinals won later that same year 26-10 in a home game against the Hilltoppers.

On Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. the Cardinals will look to repeat history with an impressive win over Western Kentucky. A victory Saturday would give U of L football their 22nd win over the Hilltoppers and extend their winning streak against Western Kentucky to 12 straight games.

File Photo// The Louisville Cardinal

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Women’s basketball slams WKU 75-56 Thursday, Nov 7 2019 

#2019basketball and basketball and Dana Evens and Hilltoppers and Norika Konno and sports and WKU Gabriel Wiest 2:29 pm

By Ben Goldberger–
The women’s basketball lived up to expectations in the first game of the season, beating the unranked Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers 75-56 Tuesday, November 8th at home. Junior Guard Dana Evans led the team with 19 points and played for all but eight minutes of the game.

Sophomore Forward Elizabeth Dixon also had a great showing, recording a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

The No. 9 Cards collectively recorded 22 assists, more than three times as many the Hilltoppers recorded seven. This effort was mostly led by Jazmine Jones who recorded 10 assists along with eight points and rebounds. While coming off of the bench, freshman Norika Konno tallied nine points in 26 minutes of play.

First Half
Louisville jumped to a quick lead against WKU in the first quarter, shooting just under 70 percent from the field, including knocking down three of four 3-point shots. This was the best shooting percentage the Cards had the whole game, shooting a measly 33 percent in the second quarter.

Jones was responsible for seven out of the nine baskets made by the Cards in the first quarter, recording six assists and two points. All of the nine first quarter baskets came off of assists.

Sophomore guard Elizabeth Balogun was on fire in the first quarter, hitting all three 3-point shots attempted. She went on to go 4-4 in the first half and 5-6 for the whole game.

Louisville finished the first half with a comfortable nine point lead over WKU at 34-25.

Second Half
The Cards then scored 21 points, yet the Hilltoppers scored 18 points, more than any other quarter. This was mostly related to sloppy defense, forfeiting 10 free throw shot attempts in the third quarter alone. The Hilltoppers capitalized on this by scoring six points off of free throws.

On the contrary, Louisville only got one free throw shot, with Evans knocking down the sole attempt of the quarter.
Evans recorded eight points in the third quarter and 15 in the second half. She made four three-pointers in the second half, elevating the Cards to a comfortable lead.

Konno made her presence felt in the fourth quarter, recording five points and, including an and-1, an assist and a rebound. She had a very productive showing coming off of the bench, outscoring Jazmine Jones by one point.

The Cards host the Central Michigan Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. in the KFC Yum! Center.

Photo by Mathew Keck // The Louisville Cardinal

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Louisville tops the Hilltoppers Saturday, Sep 14 2019 

Football and Hilltoppers and malik cunningham and Scott Satterfield and sports and Tutu Atwell and Western Kentucky and WKU Gabriel Wiest 9:24 pm

By Gabriel Wiest–

Louisville took the second win of the season, defeating Western Kentucky University 38-21.

After a huge win 42-0 over Eastern Kentucky University, Louisville (2-1) has brought their competition level up significantly since last season.

Against WKU (1-2) Louisville continued to expand their offensive capabilities passing just as much as rushing. The Cardinals had 415 total yards against the Hilltoppers, 205 yards coming from passing and 210 from rushing.

This versatility will come in handy when playing in the first conference game of the season on the road against Florida State next week.

Sophomore Tutu Atwell started off scoring for the Cardinals with a touchdown off of a nine yard pass from sophomore Malik Cunningham. The Hilltoppers did not answer, Louisville had the lead at the end of the first with a score of 7-0.

Scoring opened up for Louisville in the second quarter with 24 points. Attwell scored another touchdown in the beginning of the second off of a long 46 yard pass from Cunningham.

Western then answered with their first touchdown with a huge 72 yard play ripping through Louisville’s defense.

Louisville wrapped up the quarter with two more touchdowns, one from senior Seth Hawkins and the other from junior Rodjay Jones. The Cards also scored a field goal by senior Blanton Creque putting the score 31-7 at the end of the first half.

WKU tried to rally against the Cardinals with a touchdown at the start of the third quarter. Louisville maintained their strength as Atwell then scored his third touchdown of the game leaving the score 38-14.

Western scored another touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Louisville did not answer, leaving the final score 38-21.

Last year the Cardinal’s nearly lost against the Hilltoppers taking a narrow 20-17 win. Satterfield’s revitalized team is gaining ground lost from last year, already putting up just as many wins from last season within three games.

Looking ahead Louisville’s schedule will be starting to pick up with five straight ACC games. While Louisville has proven their competition with in-state competition, they still have to prove conference strength.

Louisville will play Florida State on Saturday Sept. 21 at 3:30 p.m. in Tallahassee, Florida.

File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal

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