Pat Kelsey had basketball on the agenda Friday morning, but he couldn’t resist turning the spotlight toward what Jeff Brohm has going on across town.
With Louisville set to open its season on the road Sunday at Memphis, Kelsey used part of his press conference to salute the Cardinals football program, and he didn’t hold back. Louisville is headed to Memphis ranked No. 10 in the nation after a 2-0 start that included a 50-point win over Morehead State, and the matchup brings the Cardinals into a rivalry that has been around for a long time.
The two programs have met 91 times, including Louisville’s 99-73 win last season. UofL leads the series 55-36 and has taken seven of the last 10.
But Kelsey’s praise wasn’t limited to his own team’s upcoming test. He made it clear he’s been watching Brohm’s group, too, as Louisville football heads to Chapel Hill for a Saturday showdown with North Carolina.
“UNC, Brohm, Belichick. That’s Saturday.
Televised as well. They are cooking with grease now," stated Kelsey on Cardinals football.
"It is the greatest show on turf right now-forty-four against Florida State, thirty-four against Syracuse, fifty-two against Stanford, forty-our against Georgia Tech. When in doubt air it out.
Football is doing an unbelievable job.”
The numbers back up the hype. Louisville’s offense is No. 6 in the country, putting up 40.8 points per game.
Lincoln Kienholz has been a big reason why, throwing for 2,276 yards and adding 11 rushing touchdowns. Isaac Brown leads the ground game with 745 rushing yards, including multiple 100-yard games in the second half of the season, while Tre Richardson tops the team with 685 receiving yards.
That football team is riding a four-game winning streak and will try to make it five against North Carolina. Louisville football kicks off at 7 p.m. local time Saturday, and Kelsey’s Cardinals follow with their own game against Memphis at 1 p.m. local time Sunday.
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Coach Walz had reason to like what he saw, especially with the way Louisville handled the game and the contributions from Amiya and Zamareya Jones. The timing matters, too, because the Cardinals are headed next for UConn at the Yum Center, where they will need that same balance, energy and confidence to carry over against a far tougher opponent. [Read more 🡒]