BREAKING NEWS: Pat Kelsey, the coach of Louisville, explains the Cardinals’ NCAA Tournament defeat.

At Rupp Arena, the Louisville men’s basketball team has suffered its second defeat of the 2024–25 campaign. The first time, a rivalry setback to Kentucky on Dec. 14, proved to be a turning point for the Cardinals. From then on, U of L ended up winning 21 of its 24 games.

The second time, however, U of L’s season ended in Lexington with an 89-75 loss to Creighton on Thursday afternoon.

Eight-seed In Rupp Arena, Louisville lost to Creighton, ranked ninth, in the opening round of the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals’ first season under head coach Pat Kelsey ended in a somber manner. In their first-round loss against the Bluejays, who made 45.8% (11-for-24) 3-pointers, the Cards fell behind for over 37 minutes. There were also a number of other regrettable incidents during Louisville’s first trip back to the national postseason since 2019.

In the second half, Kelsey was given a technical foul. Senior guard Reyne Smith of the University of Louisiana has been sidelined since March 5 due to a recurrent injury to his right ankle. Smith made his comeback for U of L on Thursday, limping off the floor with 11:37 remaining in the game and then coming back to the Louisville bench with his right shoe off and crutches. Overall, Kelsey and company had a rough day at work, and Louisville finished the season with a 27-8 record. Since 2017, Louisville has failed to win in March Madness. Here is what Kelsey stated during his press conference following the season-ending loss.

I want to congratulate Creighton and Coach McDermott. They performed admirably today. Today, they were the superior team. played in an extremely difficult setting because it was close to our school. They deserve a great deal of credit. I’m proud of our men. Since these boys initially met on June 5th for summer school, a lot has happened. Players with zero scouting reports.

In a very, very short time, the full team was built. They meshed fast. From the very beginning, we asked them to love one another, and these boys gave their all to whatever I asked of them. I will remember this group as one of the most unique groups I have ever taught for ten months, as well as for the rest of my life and career. I am aware that they are experienced and shrewd. They are intelligent, diligent, and committed.

This is a very special group. It will hurt a lot today, I told them in there. The following few days will be painful. It will be painful for some time. However, when they are able to see beyond their immediate accomplishments and get perspective, they have performed some truly remarkable feats.

Yes, it stops so suddenly and with excruciating pain. You put so much effort into your preparation. You put in a lot of effort every day. It never seems like it will end. And it’s extremely, incredibly difficult when it’s over. You experience a wave of emotions when you see those guys in the locker room in distress and emotion, and you begin to reflect on all the experiences you have shared with this group.

And you understand how unique they are and how unique it has been. I don’t think it’s anywhere close to having the best fan following in the nation. As you can see, the arena was filled tonight. Before we departed, our hotel was packed with thousands of people who had come together to support this unique bunch of young guys.

I’m sorry for our supporters. The fact that we couldn’t finish it today bothers our fan base. These guys really wanted to give these supporters what they deserved, which is to advance in the national tournament and make Louisville a national celebrity. Tonight, we just fell short a bit. Their magnificent season will not be diminished by today’s disappointment, but as we previously stated, it will be painful for some time.

I have a question regarding Pat Kelsey’s second-half technical foul call. He teed me up, you know, after I lost my temper and said something inappropriate. I know it’s far from the best moment to become technical.

Talk about how Kelsey has restored dignity and honor to the Louisville basketball program. Well, coming from a legend like you means a lot. We brag about how much of a fan base we have, but our past is insane. You’re competing in a national championship, after all. We have an abundance of All-Americans. It means a lot to me to receive such a tribute from one of our former greats because I entered as this sort of outsider that no one really knew who I was. Thank you, then. To make you guys proud, these men put forth a ton of effort every single day. Thank you.

It was quite a stretch. Even though it was early in the game, we ultimately found it difficult to bounce back from that 12-0 hammering. They obtained them in a variety of ways, but I believe that transition was the primary cause. As I like to say, they binge score. We warn our men that if they rest for one second after five, six, or seven minutes of transition, the ball will go out of the net or off the hoop, land in their hands, pitch ahead, and they will score three points. They were given second chances and a few kick-out threes when they missed them.

It was quite a stretch. Our men kept fighting. They make an excellent team. They have excellent coaching. Their center is among the greatest in the nation. Their point guard is excellent. big child. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I often say that if we were facing the ’96 Bulls, I would pick Chicago at number 23, but 11 is a burden. Being one of the top lob threats in the nation and having to deal with the gunfire that surrounds him pushes you to make some extremely difficult choices about your pick-and-roll strategy.

They were screening us, turning the corner, and reaching the rim as we attempted to dump the pick-and-roll, fight over the top, and roll pretty violently. As a result, we started attempting to hedge more and be aggressive with the pick-and-roll. Since No. 1 is a surgeon, he has the ability to dissect you. He does an excellent job at throwing back and locating shooters if you remain in the low position to remove the roll. They escaped a few times.

However, our men kept fighting. It didn’t help when the knucklehead head coach received a technical, so we trimmed it to 10 or 12, whatever it was. Give them a lot of credit, though. Today, they were the superior team. Ask about Louisville’s season success in spite of injuries and other setbacks.

That loss is all I can think about at the moment, and it hurts so much. I really wanted it. Our players really wanted it. It was much desired by our fan base. They took the call. There was a lot of red. The passion was intense. The noise level was really high.

That’s all I can feel at the moment, and it hurts like hell. You will eventually look back on it with a somewhat greater sense of appreciation. However, this is not the moment. There are several injured men in the changing room. There are some of our guys who will never again wear a jersey. Some of our guys will continue to play professionally.

In my opinion, we performed better in the second half, as evidenced by our higher percentages, which showed improved movement and fluidity as well as cutting and screening to our attack. After Pat Kelsey was given a technical penalty in the second half, a water bottle was thrown into the court. I didn’t think it was fair to you. I was talking to my team after receiving the technical, and they kept cleaning up at the other end. I thought, “What the fuck is going on?” and someone responded, “Threw a water bottle on the court.” It is regrettable. It did happen, you know.