How it happened: No. 11 Louisville drills South Carolina State 104-45
No. 11 Louisville opened its 2025-26 season at home Monday night, hosting South Carolina State, which ended in a 104-45 drilling over the Bulldogs.
Head coach Pat Kelsey had to be pleased with the way his team started after Louisville had been losing after the first 12 minutes of the final exhibition against Bucknell. The Cardinals’ defense was sizzling in the early minutes, and by halftime, Louisville had forced 12 turnovers and scored 17 points off them.
The Cards held a 59-15 advantage at the break. Louisville’s 44-point halftime lead over the Bulldogs was the school’s largest since the 1974-75 season.
The first 20 minutes were those of balance offensively and a different kind of effort level on defense from the one we saw in the preseason. From the first five minutes on, it was all U of L.
Overall, _ of the Cardinals’ points came in the paint, while adding 26 from the charity stripe on 25 drawn fouls. Once again, Louisville was prolific from behind the arc, going 12-of-32 (37.5%) from distance.
Five Louisville players ended up in double figures with J’Vonne Hadley (13), Isaac McKneely (17), and Ryan Conwell (12) all contributing. McKneely ended up hitting five 3s in 22 minutes. Hadley’s nine rebounds were also a team-high.
It was the freshman point guard Brown who stole the show in the first half. He dazzled with an impressive passing performance. The former five-star recruit finished with six assists and three turnovers, also adding 11 points in 18 minutes.
Sophomore wing Khani Rooths looked the part on Monday. He was aggressive as a slasher, showed an improved handle, made a 3-pointer, and gave SCSU the work defensively. This is the kind of leap many expected for the talented wing. He finished with a team-high 20 points and also grabbed seven rebounds.
It took over 30 minutes for the Bulldogs to make their first 3-pointer, and as a team, South Carolina State was 2-of-19 from downtown. The Cardinals forced 25 SCSU turnovers.
Also of note, sophomore guard Adrian Wooley exited the game in the second half with a turned ankle. He did not return and finished with five points. The injury was later revealed to be a cramp.
The Cardinals return to action at the Yum! Center this Thursday as they play host to Jackson State with tip-off set for 7 PM EST on ACC Network Extra.
