It was a tear jerker in the KFC Yum! Center celebrating Louisville basketball’s seniors.
Louisville basketball took on the Stanford Cardinal Saturday afternoon for senior night at the KFC Yum! Center. Stanford features star forward Maxime Reynaud, an all-ACC 7 footer good for twenty points and ten rebounds a game. Considering the troubles that Coach Pat Kelsey has had with interior defense as of lately, this could have been a cause for concern on the night the Cardinal faithful said goodbye to the cast of one year seniors who have turned their beloved program around: this one, however, went exactly as well as a Cards fan could have hoped it would have.
The game began as usual, with senior guards Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards, Jr. doing most of the heavy lifting on the offensive side of things. The senior guards accounted for nine of the Cards’ first 18 points, and the home team jumped out to an early eight point lead on the back of an unanswered thirteen point run.
Battling the big
J’vonne Hadley came to life against Stanford, hitting a three at the 5:34 mark in between two Hepburn field goals. Hadley was fouled putting back a transition misfire from Hepburn with three minutes remaining in the first half, giving UofL a 31-14 lead after he connected on two free throws. Louisville went into the half up 33-18. Hepburn had put up twelve for the Cards, who had dominated points in the paint twenty to two, holding Stanford to a first half season low in offensive production.
The absence of Reyne Smith has left a hole in Kelsey’s lineup and the hearts of Louisville fans. In the second half on Saturday, sixth year senior forward Noah Waterman stepped up to plug this gap. Waterman connected on a contested layup after a ball fake ninety seconds in, giving the Cards a 35-20 lead. Here, the visiting Cardinal made their greatest run, when Reynaud briefly came to life.
Also read: How Pat Kelsey transformed Louisville basketball
He connected on a three point field goal before a made Terrence Edwards, Jr. circus shot at the 14:59 mark. Reynaud would respond again with consecutive two and three point field goals, but Rooths and Hadley answered for the Cards.
Stanford would get as close as 41-33 when Ryan Agarwal hit a three with 12:46 remaining. At this point, Reynaud had put up ten points in eight minutes, and his team had pulled within eight. Pat Kelsey took a time out.
ATO sets Louisville basketball up
Out of the time out, Terrence Edwards, Jr. hit James Scott with a lob. 41-33. The next two Stanford possessions were a Reynaud air ball and a turnover. Edwards, Jr. hit a step back three with 11:32 left in the game. 46-33. Reynaud missed another three point attempt, and Noah Waterman made one. 49-33. Stanford would score six unanswered points, getting as close as 51-41, but it was all Louisville from that point on. Edwards, Jr. hit a tough shot in the lane to end a brief UofL scoring drought, followed by a Hadley ball fake that led to a layup. Hadley was then fouled on a made field goal. He missed the free throw, but compensated by hitting Edwards, Jr. in transition off a rebounded Stanford miss. The Cards were up 59-45, and never looked back.
With two minutes remaining, Chucky hit Scott with a lob in traffic. Hepburn made a turnaround at the 1:24 mark, putting his team up 63-47. This would be the beginning of the curtain call. Chucky was subbed out with thirty two seconds remaining, and kissed the bird at center court before making his final exit.
Pictures from Jared Anderson
Saying goodbye, one last time
Terrence Edwards, Jr., Noah Waterman, and Aboubacar Traore would follow him, to the sound of eighteen thousand grateful fans who had watched the program go from tragic to magic in an unpredictable, spell-binding, and ongoing 2025. Cole Sherman knocked down a triple with 19 seconds to go, putting a final exclamation point on a very irregular regular season. The Cards won, 68-48.
This was a great, and appropriate, way to end Kelsey’s spectacular inaugural regular season effort at the helm of the storied Cardinal program. Particularly encouraging was his team’s resurgent defensive prowess, along with the help Hepburn and Edwards, Jr. got from the supporting cast on offense.
Postseason basketball is back
I would hate to be the unfortunate group of players tasked with guarding a Louisville team that features the inside-outside production of Waterman and Hadley with a healthy Reyne Smith, Edwards, Jr., and Hepburn.
After a couple of hard-fought victories against teams with subpar records, it’s encouraging to see Louisville manhandle an opponent so effectively: especially one with a dual-threat, NBA-bound, all-conference forward. What a way to end a season that nobody could have predicted at its inception, but everybody will be watching at its conclusion…when will it conclude?
It’s a question time will answer. On Saturday night, however, there was no question: it’s a great time to be a Louisville Cardinal, again.
