March | 2025 | The Cardinal's Beak

Louisville fans waited a long time to hear their names called again on selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament. The moment finally arrived but the committee threw a wet blanket on it.

After a remarkable turnaround season where Coach Kelsey led a revived Louisville Basketball team to a 27-7 overall record, 18-2 ACC Conference record and conference tournament runner-up they were awarded an 8 seed.

After stewing about this for a few hours and reading through the angry posts on social media I decided to not let this put a damper on this moment for me. A moment during the past few seasons that I questioned would ever happen again.

My Louisville Cardinals are back in the NCAA Tournament and I get to hop in my car on Thursday afternoon and take a 20-minute drive down the road to Lexington to watch them open up in the first game of March Madness.

As far as the 8 seed goes… This is the time of year when the name on the jersey doesn’t mean anything when the ball is tipped at center court. This is the time of year when you gotta bring your game and not just your name if you want to survive and advance to the next round. As we’ve learned over recent years seeding is not the be-all end-all to making a run.

When it comes to this time of year you just have to play and win. And Louisville is no stranger to winning in Lexington during the NCAA Tournament. The Cards are 3-2 in NCAA Tournament games in Rupp Arena, playing there in 1984, 2007, and 2013.

Louisville is one of 12 teams ranked in the top 30 by Kenpom in both offensive and defensive ratings. At times they’ve been really good on the offensive end of the floor and the news of Reyne Smith being back in the lineup is great news.

The overall consistency with this team has been on the defensive end of the floor. In large part due to having one of the best defensive players in the country in Chucky Hepburn.

In my opinion, defense wins games in March and if Louisville can figure out how to stop or slow down Creighton Center Ryan Kalkbrenner who stands at 7’1 and is averaging 19.4 points per game, along with 8.8 rebounds per game, they have a great shot at moving on to Saturday for a showdown with overall #1 seed Auburn.

I’m so excited about this game and hope Louisville fans pack into Rupp Arena on Thursday afternoon and turn that place Red. Let’s keep this reviVILLE going all the way to the Final Four. L’s UP!

See you at Rupp!

We have reached the part of the college basketball season where teams are winding up the regular season and ramping up for the post-season tournaments. Years of hard work hang in the balance as seniors across the country near the end of their college basketball careers, and programs all over the country are having their Senior Night/Day ceremonies.

On Saturday, the University of Louisville will honor seven players for their contributions to the program. On Saturday, seniors Terrence Edwards Jr., Reyne Smith, Chucky Hepburn, Noah Waterman, Aidan McCool, Aboubacar Traore, and Frank Anselem-ibe will lace em up for the last time in that locker room, and will come charging out of that tunnel to the alma mater for the last time, and will get the love and admiration from the Yum Center crowd for the last time.

Ceremonies like on Saturday are part of the process that allows closure for the seniors and passing of the torch to the underclassmen, but in successful programs like the University of Louisville, the tradition never graduates. This program is vibrant because many groups of seniors have cared enough to give their very best.

There have been many chapters written, but this 2025 group of basketball seniors is going to have a story all of their own. They were tasked with reviving the tradition, legacy, and passion of Louisville Basketball. They didn’t have 4 years to do it. When we look back on this season we will never forget how remarkable it was that they were able to turn it around in such a short time.

This is not only a testament to the great job new head Coach Pat Kelsey and his staff did but also says a lot about the character, work ethic, and drive of this special group of players and the leadership of these seniors.

They will be gone after just one season with us but their legacy will remain forever in Cardinal Lore. They have laid a new foundation and a new way forward for this program that other groups will take the ball and run with. Louisville Basketball is back and it’s because of Terrence Edwards Jr., Reyne Smith, Chucky Hepburn, Noah Waterman, Aidan McCool, Aboubacar Traore, and Frank Anselem-ibe.

Thanks guys! L’s Up Forever!