Louisville Basketball: No Rock Bottom
- Loganmcconkey
- Jun 6, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 6, 2023
Hard to imagine Kenny Payne's first season at Louisville going any worse. Actually, it is impossible to get worse than this. 3 total wins on the season and just 1 in acc play. Rounding out to a special 3-21 overall record with a large handful of losses being complete blowouts. Payne has put together, possibly, the worst season in the history of Louisville basketball.
Preseason it was obvious this team wasn't going to be very good. But nobody thought it would end up this bad. I don't even think UK fans could've dreamed this season up. So, there has to be a rock bottom... right? Well the season just keeps getting worse. You watch them play and think, "This has to be the worst basketball I'm going to watch all season." And then a couple games down the road they one up themselves. I vote to forfeit the season and try again next year, because what is happening on the court is embarrassing.
The Non - Conference Rock Bottom
Starting the season off 0-7, with 4 of those losses by at least 19 points. The other 3 losses - Bellarmine, Wright St., and App St all at the Yum! Center. You have to go back to before World War 2 to find a team this bad. Add two early ACC blowouts by 20+, you get 0-9 and the first rock bottom. 0-9 ATS is worth noting. Not only were they losing, but they were out losing Vegas and that's hard to do.
The line was drawn at 10. A win at home against a decent WKU team, gave hope that Louisville basketball had maybe figured it out. Not to become a good team, but a team that plays hard and win some games. The Cardinals' followed that up with a second straight win against a horrific FAMU team. Seemed like the horrible days were behind the program and things were looking up. Allow me to introduce you to the next 'false' rock bottom - The ACC rock bottom.
This play by Bellarmine in the waning seconds during their upset by Louisville is the most heads up bball play I've seen in quite some time. pic.twitter.com/x7oamnTOvR — Slipper Still Fits (@slipperstillfit) November 10, 2022
The ACC Rock Bottom
Follow the 2 straight wins with a 10 game losing streak and you get the next rock bottom. The beginning of the ACC schedule was a disaster. Not because it was overly difficult, but because every game felt like it was over before it even started. 0-10 in a bad ACC is inexcusable. The 3 games at the end of this stretch were especially bad. Embarrassed by Pitt at home. Beaten by 10 after winning for 35 minutes of the game at Boston College. And lastly, losing to a sorry Notre Dame team by 14. That is the second 'false' rock bottom. The whole ACC knows that Louisville is a joke. Teams are playing hard against the Cardinals, simply because it's embarrassing to lose to this team.
The Free Fall
It won't be getting better this year, Louisville is in an all out free fall. Turn on a Louisville Basketball game and see three things. Turnovers. Lack of effort. Lack of energy. Those three things come with coaching. Right now this Louisville team is poorly coached. Yes, this team is disadvantaged talent wise. No, the talent isn't bad enough to have 3 wins. As a coach of 18-22 year olds it is your job to get the most out of them. I don't care if this isn't the best shooting team or passing team. To have no energy or effort game in and game out is outrageous. Even if this team was full of 5 stars, based on energy and effort they might be in the same spot. Give this thread a look for lack of effort.
This is the play @StevenRummage is currently talking about. Less than 5 minutes into the game, Curry jogs and his man just runs away from him and catches a lob. This is why you can't say they're trying hard and not quitting. They're not. pic.twitter.com/tSfzhZKaJb — Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) February 8, 2023
This comes from the most recent embarrassment, a 34 point loss at Pitt. Student managers were in the game for Pitt by the end. This one feels like the worst it'll get, but there's still 7 games left including Miami, Virginia, Duke, and Clemson. 3-28 seems way too reasonable. At least Kenny Payne is saying the right things.
Kenny Payne: it was a fight, we didn’t show up. I blame myself for that. — Mark Blankenbaker (@UofLSheriff50) February 8, 2023
We know who to blame, just do better.
There is no rock bottom with this team. There have been false rock bottoms, but the 2022 - 2023 Louisville basketball team just continues to get worse. Kenny Payne will most likely get another year, but wow this has been a tough watch week in and week out. Is it baseball season yet?
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