On Saturday night, the Louisville Cardinals lost to Syracuse for the fifth time in a row, and in many ways, it was the game that epitomized the Kenny Payne era.
The game started with the Cardinals hanging around for the first four to six minutes, but then it looked to be all Syarcuse, and that carried into the first half as well. Even after Louisville cut the lead to five points in the second half, Syracuse went on an 18–5 run that eliminated the Cardinals. With less than a minute remaining, Louisville managed to cut the deficit to 4, but Payne’s team was unable to capitalize on the late rally.
Mistakes made without intent, poorly read tasks, and poor coaching have all plagued the Payne era. That was evident against Syracuse last night, and the only times they played well on the court were when the Cardinals were making difficult jumpers or when some of their raw skill was beginning to show. It had nothing to do with Payne’s coaching skills improving during the match.
The game was a true representation of the Payne era in some ways, as the Cardinals appeared to be losing the majority of it, but there were a few moments that gave “light at the end of the tunnel” throughout. But Payne’s and Louisville basketball’s tunnel appears never-ending, and almost all aspects of the bad outweigh the good.
Although Syracuse dominated the Cardinals, the game appeared much less harsh than it actually was because of the players’ skill. For Cardinal supporters, Payne’s final two regular season games and maybe just one ACC tournament game are approaching faster than they can arrive.
It has been a while since we have seen top-notch basketball played, and Louisville supporters want to see it happen. We hope it’s not Kenny Payne when November rolls around next November, but we don’t know if it will be Scott Drew, Mick Cronin, Nate Oats, or anyone else.
