Louisville falls to 0-3 after loss to Appalachian State: Where do the Cardinals go from here?
The Louisville Cardinals fell to the Appalachian State Mountaineers 61-60 on Tuesday night. Here’s what you need to know:
- Louisville is now 0-3 in 2022.
- In all three games, Louisville has lost by one point.
- Cardinals guard El Ellis had a chance to win on a buzzer-beater but couldn’t get the shot off in time, giving the Mountaineers the win.
Evaluating Louisville’s start to the season
So this is ugly. There is no polite way to say it. You can argue — and not inaccurately — that Bellarmine, Wright State and Appalachian State are decent mid-majors. Bellarmine would have been in the NCAA Tournament if it had been eligible. Wright State made the field, and App State did two years ago. But, the but. Louisville is a disastrous mess. The offense is stagnant and prone to digging itself a hole, and there is no obvious way to dig out.
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But to be fair, to expect first-year coach Kenny Payne to work miracles would have been a big ask. This is not the result of one offseason or one hire. This is an unraveling five years in the making, the result of everything that has been the mayhem of Louisville basketball through the last five years. The bad news — there’s no great solution coming. Payne did not land D.J. Wagner, and there is no big recruit coming in to save the day.
Buckle up, Cards fans. Gonna be a long year. — O’Neil
Where do the Cardinals go from here?
If you’re looking for tiny glimmers, there is this: despite being down big to Appalachian State the whole game, the Cardinals rolled back and came within a fingernail of winning it at the buzzer. That no one is rolling over and giving up is something to build on, and that’s really what Payne needs to do. He needs to find small victories, and work to make sure the mental makeup of this team remains strong. That is no easy task, but it’s the only way to get through what looks to be a really hard season. — O’Neil
Required reading
(Photo: Jamie Rhodes / USA Today)
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