Louisville is looking for a reset-and fast.
After suffering their worst loss under second-year head coach Pat Kelsey, the No. 20 Cardinals return home Saturday to face an SMU team that’s quietly building momentum.
Louisville’s 83-52 defeat at the hands of No. 4 Duke on Monday night wasn’t just a bad night-it was a wake-up call.
The Cardinals (14-6, 4-4 ACC) were outplayed in nearly every facet at Cameron Indoor. They shot just 29.6% from the field, went ice-cold from deep, and were manhandled on the glass. Duke outrebounded them 47-26 and dominated the paint with a staggering 42-10 scoring advantage inside.
“We got our butt kicked,” Kelsey said bluntly after the game. “Every metric that you would look at speaks to a butt-kicking.”
Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr., still working his way back after missing eight games with a back injury, struggled mightily in just his second game back-hitting only one of his 13 shots. It was a tough night for a player who’s been a sparkplug when healthy. Ryan Conwell continued to be a steady presence, leading the team with 18 points, while J’Vonne Hadley added 11.
Louisville’s offense has been driven all season by Conwell (19.4 PPG) and Brown (16.1 PPG), but they’ve also gotten double-digit contributions from Isaac McKneely (11.5), Hadley (10.8), and Sananda Fru (10.6). The talent is there.
The consistency? Still a work in progress.
Now comes SMU.
The Mustangs (15-5, 4-3 American) haven’t played since last Saturday, when they gutted out an 83-80 win over Florida State. That game showed exactly what makes this SMU team dangerous: poise, experience, and a backcourt that knows how to close.
SMU led by 12 at halftime, then had to withstand a furious FSU rally that saw the Seminoles open the second half on a 16-3 run. But the Mustangs didn’t flinch. They traded punches down the stretch and made the plays they needed-on both ends-to escape with the win.
“The advantage of having experienced players, especially three guards, they’ve been there many games,” said head coach Andy Enfield. “Our team has been very good in close games this year.”
That veteran trio-Jaron Pierre Jr., B.J. Edwards, and Boopie Miller-has been the engine behind SMU’s offense all season.
Pierre dropped 28 points against Florida State, hitting four threes and pulling down five boards. Edwards added 19 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Miller, the team’s leading scorer, had an off-shooting night (3-for-12) but still handed out six assists and kept the offense moving.
Together, those three guards have accounted for more than 57% of SMU’s total scoring this season. They’ve also dished out over 74% of the team’s assists, and SMU ranks 18th nationally in scoring at 87.3 points per game. This is a group that can light it up-and they share the ball well enough to keep defenses guessing.
Enfield, who notched his 300th career win with that Florida State victory, shrugged off the milestone afterward, choosing instead to credit his staff.
“I didn’t even know it was 300 until someone told me after the game,” he said. “I would not be here with 300 wins as a head coach without an incredible coaching staff.”
For Louisville, Saturday’s matchup is more than just a chance to get back in the win column-it’s a gut check. The loss to Duke stung, but Kelsey isn’t letting it define his team.
“You get your butt whooped and you’re on the ground, you’ve got to freaking get up and fight,” he said.
That fight will be tested against an SMU squad that’s not just talented, but tough-battle-tested, experienced, and confident in crunch time. If Louisville wants to bounce back, they’ll need more than just a better shooting night. They’ll need to match SMU’s energy, clean up the glass, and re-establish the kind of defensive intensity that’s been missing in recent games.
Because one thing’s clear: the Mustangs aren’t coming to town to play nice.