Last Tuesday, the University of Louisville Men’s Basketball team defeated the University of Kentucky Wildcats (Cats) 96-88 at the KFC YUM! Center here in Louisville. It marks the Louisville Cardinals’ (Cards) first victory over the Cats since 2020, and it’s historic for more reasons than that.
This is Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey’s second season at the helm. He was brought in after two disappointing seasons led by head coach Kenny Payne, resulting in a combined 12-52 record for the Cards. Morale in the city was low when Kelsey was hired, but he has turned the program around in a big way, and the city has come alive with support for Louisville basketball once again.
The rivalry game took place just one week after the United Parcel Service (UPS) plane crash that took the lives of 14 Louisvillians and left the city devastated. For Kelsey, this win meant more than just keeping a storied rivalry alive. It also helped rally a city in the midst of tragedy, giving them something to believe in and come together for as a community.
“I love this place. It’s special … when tragedies happen, when bad things happen … you see how people come together. It galvanizes the city, you feel the love, you feel the support and we rally behind those people who have suffered so much loss. And then, you beat Kentucky, they really like that too around here. After a really tough couple of weeks, this puts a smile on the faces of people in this city and it’s a lot of feel-good,” Kelsey said in his press conference following the Kentucky game.
Last season, the first of Kelsey’s tenure, was a success in more ways than one. The Cardinals garnered a 27-8 record, their first ever Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament Championship appearance and a spot in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament for the first time since 2019. While the season ended in a disappointing first-round exit from the tournament, Louisville fans knew that they had much to look forward to. Now that has come to fruition as the Cardinals have started the season undefeated and beaten their biggest rival at home.
For Kode Embers (11, YPAS), the transition to the new coaching staff has shown a stark contrast with the down years of the Payne era. A Louisville fan since birth, he recalls how the poor performance affected the city.
“I remember that the fan base started to taper in numbers, and downtown and the YUM! Center in general just wasn’t as lively. I remember many instances of businesses complaining because the team was pretty bad and fans were starting to not go to the games,” Embers said.
Embers isn’t the only one who noticed the effect that the team’s success, and lack thereof, has had on local businesses. The Kelsey era has ushered in success not just for the team, but also for restaurants in the area, who have seen an increase in sales due to higher turnouts at games and overall more positive energy in the city.
This positive shift was especially evident last Tuesday, the night of the Cards’ rivalry win. Embers attended the game and realized the significance and pride that came with it.
“It was honestly so rewarding to see my entire city come together and cheer for something. It was also rewarding because of all the hard work that Pat Kelsey has put in building his second-year team and finally beating our rival,” Embers said.
The game recorded an attendance of 22,586. In contrast, two years ago, the YUM! Center was only scanning an average of 6,342 tickets per game. The increase in attendance is just another indicator of the city’s passion for good basketball; when the Cards are succeeding, Louisville comes alive.
“This win specifically means so much to me because it’s so satisfying to finally see our team back in the game and see the fans excited for the season to come. A successful season would mean so much to me and the entire city of Louisville. Overall, a successful season would just be something to bring the city together and give Louisville fans something to believe in after such a dry few years,” Embers said.
