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For a season that was supposed to be different in all the right ways, Sunday felt an awful lot like the same song and dance Louisville fans have seen from previous Pat Kelsey teams in big spots on the road.
U of L led by as many as 18 points in the first half and by 11 at halftime, but was destroyed in the second half by unranked Memphis, who rolled to a 98-78 victory over their longtime rivals to the North. The comeback was the fourth-largest in the last 15 years by an unranked team against an AP top 10 opponent.
The Tigers shot over 70 percent from the field in the second half and out-scored their visitors 57-26 after the break. Point guard Jayden Reid led the way with 24 points and 10 assists, while Tylik Weeks added 24 points of his own, 18 of those coming in the second half.
Seth Trimble seemed to be the only Cardinal not rattled during the second half avalanche. The transfer from North Carolina scored 16 points and added two steals and two blocks. Jackson Shelstad scored 16 as well, but had just one made basket after halftime.
Look, there’s no way to sugarcoat it: This was a very very, VERY bad way to, in earnest, begin what we all agree is pretty much a defining season for Pat Kelsey at Louisville. In a major spot, the Cards were once again the less composed, less tough, and less hungry team. That can’t happen when we’re talking about one of the 5-10 highest-paid rosters in the sport and a team that many experts believe should be a Final Four contender.
You went all in last spring on being one of the best defensive teams in the country, and you just gave up 98 to a Memphis team playing without its second-leading scorer. This team needs to be elite defensively to have any shot whatsoever at being great overall. Sunday, it wasn’t even average defensively.
I know it’s November, but these three games coming up in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving Week could not be more important.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/louisville-embarrassed-memphis-98-78-202525201.html