The new NCAA season has begun, and universities are busy hosting exhibition games to raise funds for charity. In the midst of the excitement, the Louisville Cardinals suffered an unexpected defeat to the Kentucky Wesleyans in their exhibition match. Although it’s typical for host universities to win such games, the Cardinals’ loss disappointed their coach. Kenny Payne expressed his discontent with the team’s performance at the post-game press conference. At the KFC Yum Center, the Wesleyans out-rebounded the Cardinals 47–33, with 16 of those offensive rebounds turning into 18 second-chance points. Additionally, the Cardinals shot only 34% from the floor.

After a stunning victory over Lenoir-Rhyne the previous season, this is the Cardinals’ second exhibition loss under head coach Kenny Payne, who is in his second year. Prior to his arrival, the squad had won 39 straight exhibition games and hadn’t lost one since 2000. He summed up the shortcomings of his team in the post-game interview.

Kenny Payne’s discontent with his team

Louisville’s advantage was clearly their length and agility, but their rebounding effort and execution were terrible. Kentucky Wesleyan out-rebounded them 47-33 overall and 16-5 on offensive rebounds, resulting in an 18-2 difference in second-chance points.

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The coach harshly criticized his team for their lack of practice and dedication, emphasizing the importance of practicing hard, playing hard, and being defensively desperate. This highlights the team’s poor work ethic during practice sessions and their lack of seriousness towards the game. “The disconnect is fully understanding how hard you have to practice, how hard you have to play, and how desperate you have to be defensive,” the coach said.

The coach acknowledged that they can’t rely solely on talent to beat teams and stressed the need for fighting spirit. “We can’t beat teams with talent. We’re never going to be the most talented team. Beat them with a fight,” he added. Despite having strong winning prospects, the coach felt that his team didn’t show enough fight, even though they were capable of it. Wesleyan proved to be a tough opponent, especially in the offensive area.

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The exhibition showdown of Kentucky vs. Louisville

Louisville’s Dennis Evans scores here, but Kentucky Wesleyan stunned everyone by upsetting the Cardinals 71-68 in an exhibition game on Monday night. While Kentucky Wesleyan shot 36.1 percent from the field and made only 7 of 27 three-point attempts, Louisville shot 34.0 percent and made only 5 of 19 three-point attempts. The Cardinals’ shot selection was solid early in the game but deteriorated as the game went on.

Louisville gave it their all on both ends of the floor in the first few minutes, but their offensive difficulties resulted from a series of missed shots. On the other hand, they missed four of their final twelve tries, including a five-minute stretch in which they failed to make a field goal. Louisville pulled within two points twice in the final four minutes, but Kentucky Wesleyan replied with a three-pointer each time.

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