Cards topple Clemson for 5th straight win

Before Tuesday night, the last time the Louisville men’s basketball team had won a game for the fifth straight time was Jan. 13, 2021.

Cardinal sophomore James Scott, who scored 11 points and snagged 10 rebounds on Tuesday, was 15-years-old.

The most recent in a string of incredibly impressive performances by Pat Kelsey’s team was 74-64 triumph over a Clemson team that walked into the KFC Yum Center with a perfect 4-0 ACC record. The loss dropped the Tigers to 0-9 all-time in games against the Cards in Louisville.

The story of the night was U of L’s J’Vonne Hadley, who gave one of the more impressive overall individual performances that we’ve seen from a Cardinal in some time.

The Colorado transfer was everywhere, scoring a career-high 32 points to go along with 10 rebounds and four assists. By the time Hadley — who went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 10-of-12 from the field overall — was ready to head to the bench for the final time, he had a raucous KFC Yum Center chanting his name.

While Hadley was at the forefront of the effort, the entire Louisville team was sensational in a highly physical came against a Clemson team that typically thrives in those conditions.

Scott and Hadley’s efforts inside helped overcome an evening where the backcourt trio of Chucky Hepburn, Terrence Edwards and Reyne Smith went a combined 4-for-28 from the field and 3-for-20 from three. Hepburn still managed to finish with seven assists and three steals.

Look, if you would have told me in November that a game against a team as big and physical as Clemson was going to be called like this, I would have said we were fucked.

Every guy wearing white was absolute nails in this game.

For a third straight game, the defensive game plan and effort was tremendous. We didn’t allow their stars to go crazy, but we didn’t so so at the expense of one of their supporting cast members playing out of their minds either.

Things are really rounding into form now, and I can’t say enough about the job that Pat Kelsey has been able to do on the fly over these last few weeks.

This is fun as hell, boys and girls, and it’s an earned moment for all of us.

Another big one on Saturday.