LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – The second year of the Pat Kelsey Era officially tips off Monday night as the Cards host South Carolina State in the regular season opener.
UofL enters the season ranked 11th in the AP poll and 10th in the coaches poll and went 1-1 in exhibition play, losing to No. 19 Kansas in the opener and defeating Bucknell 99-76 on Tuesday.
In his first year with the program, Kelsey led the Cards to a 27-8 record, going 18-2 in ACC play to finish second in the conference to Duke, but the season ended earlier than Cards fans would’ve liked, with a first-round loss to Creighton in the NCAA Tournament.
This year’s UofL team is ranked 14th out of the 365 Division I teams by analytics website kenpom.com. It’s opponent in the season opener, SCSU, ranks 322nd.
The Bulldogs finished last season with a 20-13 record, going 11-3 in Mid-Eastern Conference play.
Tip-off for the season opener is slated at 9 p.m. and it will air on the ACC Network. For streaming, the game will be available on Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV and on ESPN’s streaming platforms with a subscription.
The Cards will be back in action Thursday night against Jackson State before hosting archrivals UK on Nov. 11 in the Battle of the Bluegrass. UofL opens the season with four-straight home games before making the drive up I-71 to take on Cincinnati on Nov. 21.
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