LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville men's basketball team is hoping to make major strides this season, but it was more of the same Monday night.
The Cardinals dropped an exhibition contest 71-68 to Division II Kentucky Wesleyan. UofL also lost an exhibition game last season to Division II opponent Lenoir-Rhyne.
Head coach Kenny Payne spoke after the loss, and many fans and members of the basketball media are pouncing on one quote in particular. Payne was seemingly trying to say his team needs to work harder.
"Are you going to beat teams with talent or are you going to beat teams with work ethic, with the toughness, with the fight," Payne said. "We can't beat teams with talent. We're never going to be the most talented team. But we can beat them with fight."
You can watch the full answer below.
The Cardinals were outrebounded 47-33 by the Panthers, including 16 offensive rebounds that became 18 second-chance points, and shot 34% from the field.
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UofL made 31 of 38 free throws (82%) in the game, but it wasn’t enough to offset a cold shooting night from the floor that included a 28% clip in the first half.
Despite that, the Cards led by as much as six in the first half at 20-14 after a three-point play by sophomore guard Tre White.
Kentucky Wesleyan rallied to tie it at 26-all by halftime, and a 6-0 run later pushed the Panthers back in front 45-43 with 9:37 remaining.
Louisville’s last lead came at 49-47 on a 3-pointer by redshirt sophomore guard/forward Mike James at the 6:09 mark. Kentucky Wesleyan countered with another 6-0 run and never relinquished the lead, although the Cardinals cut it to one in the waning seconds.
The Cardinals are hoping to rebound from the worst season in modern history last year, in which the team won just four games.
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