Battle-tested Louisville basketball notches first win at Florida State since 2018

Posted by Admin December 21, 2024 Basketball

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Pat Kelsey said he’s never had a tougher schedule out of the gate in his 13 seasons as a Division I head coach than the one he’s navigating with his inaugural Louisville basketball team.

“You always look for the silver lining,” Kelsey told reporters Friday, before the Cardinals (7-5, 1-1 ACC) set off for their seventh Quad 1 game of the campaign. “When you come out the back side of it, I think it gives you an opportunity to learn a whole bunch about your team, teach you a bunch of lessons (and) give you a bunch of things that you need to work on moving forward.”

U of L’s daunting slate prepared it for moments like Saturday, when it used a barrage of 3-pointers to pull away from Florida State (9-4, 0-2) in the second half for a 90-76 win —its first at the Donald L. Tucker Center since 2018.

The road has not been kind to Louisville the past three seasons, especially in ACC play. Entering the weekend, it was 3-27 in conference opponents’ gyms dating back to the 2021-22 season.

Those days appear to be over after the Cards led for 37 minutes, 12 seconds and, unlike their league opener against then-No. 9 Duke, made the necessary plays in winning time when the Seminoles used an 8-0 run to pull within three, 56-53, with 11:02 remaining in regulation. And perhaps their shooting woes are behind them, too.

After starting 5 for 14 from beyond the arc during the first half, U of L knocked down 10 of 15 3s during the final 20 minutes to finish with a season-high 15 on a season-high 51.7% clip. And this was with the Seminoles boasting DI’s seventh-best 3-point percentage defense (26.5%).

Just how big of an improvement was it for one of America’s most trigger-happy teams? The Cards’ previous season-high 3-point percentage was 37% in a win over Indiana at the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis.

Reyne Smith led the way with six of those triples (five during the second half) to finish with a season-high 27 points. Terrence Edwards Jr. (19), Chucky Hepburn (16) and Noah Waterman (15) rounded out the double-digit scorers.

Louisville has another weeklong break before its final game of 2024: a noon tipoff against Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 28 at the KFC Yum! Center.

This story will be updated.

Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.