Louisville basketball faced a significant challenge in its first game under new head coach Pat Kelsey, suffering a 22-point loss to then-No. 12 Tennessee. Now, the Cardinals (1-1) are back at the KFC Yum! Center, eager to secure a much-needed bounce-back win against crosstown rival Bellarmine (0-4), who is still in search of their first victory of the season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

Coach Kelsey's Focus

During the nearly two-week break, U of L spent the majority of the time in "preseason mode," working on all aspects of their system. With next week's trip to the Bahamas for the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis on the horizon, the coach emphasized the importance of consistency in both effort and execution against the Knights. "They knew there were a lot of things we had to improve on and we had to clean up," he said. "I loved our mentality and our approach."

Opponent Analysis

Led by longtime coach Scott Davenport, Bellarmine is looking to avoid a 0-5 start for the first time since the 2021-22 season. Despite having only one starter and one player who appeared in all 31 games from last season, the Knights present a variety of challenges. "Their record is not indicative of the caliber of the team that they have," Kelsey said. "They present a lot of problems: positional size, a lot of shooting (and) very good skill."

Bellarmine's competition this season hasn't been as tough as in previous years. They have faced VCU, VMI, Southern Indiana, and Marshall. These opponents have provided a different level of competition compared to the top-40 teams they faced in the past.

Injuries and Game Details

Aboubacar Traore and Koren Johnson will miss tonight's game due to injuries. Traore, a 6-foot-5 senior forward who transferred from Long Beach State, is expected to be out for multiple weeks with a broken left arm. Johnson, a 6-2 junior guard from Washington, was ruled out due to an undisclosed shoulder injury.The officiating crew for today's game consists of Ted Valentine, Courtney Green, and Clare Aubry. The game between U of L and Bellarmine will not be aired on a traditional TV channel but will be available on ACC Network Extra via livestream. Jody Demling (play-by-play) and Larry O'Bannon (analyst) will provide the call. If your cable or live TV streaming package includes ACC Network, you can access ACC Network Extra through ESPN.com/watch or the ESPN app after logging in with your cable or live TV streaming service credentials. For those without cable, streaming services such as fuboTV (FREE TRIAL) and YouTube TV (FREE TRIAL) offer access to ACC Network Extra.

Betting odds have Louisville as a 29.5-point favorite (-105) on BetMGM, with the over-under set at 147.5 points (-110). KenPom.com gives U of L a 97% chance of winning and projects an 84-63 final score in their favor. BartTorvik.com is also forecasting a Cards victory (97%), with a projected final score of 90-63.

Upcoming Schedule

Louisville has a busy schedule ahead, with games against various opponents. Here is a look at their upcoming games:Monday, Oct. 21: vs. Young Harris College (exhibition) | SCORE: Louisville 106, Young Harris College 59Monday, Oct. 28: vs. Spalding (exhibition) | SCORE: Louisville 99, Spalding 54Monday, Nov. 4: vs. Morehead State | SCORE: Louisville 93, Morehead State 45Saturday. Nov. 9: vs. Tennessee | SCORE: Tennessee 77, Louisville 55Tuesday, Nov. 19: vs. Bellarmine, 7 p.m., ACC Network ExtraFriday, Nov. 22: vs. Winthrop, 7 p.m., ACC Network ExtraWednesday, Nov. 27: vs. Indiana (Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise, Bahamas), noon, ESPNThursday, Nov. 28: vs. Gonzaga or West Virginia (Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise, Bahamas), either noon or 2:30 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2Friday, Nov. 29: vs. TBD (Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise, Bahamas)Tuesday, Dec. 3: Ole Miss (SEC/ACC Challenge), 9 p.m., ACC NetworkSunday, Dec. 8: vs. Duke, 6 p.m., ACC NetworkWednesday, Dec. 11: vs. UTEP, 7 p.m., ACC Network ExtraSaturday, Dec. 14: at KentuckySaturday, Dec. 21: at Florida State, 2 p.m., The CWSaturday, Dec. 28: vs. Eastern Kentucky, noon, The CWWednesday, Jan. 1: vs. North Carolina, ACC NetworkSaturday, Jan. 4: at Virginia, 4 p.m., ACC NetworkTuesday, Jan. 7: vs. Clemson, 7 p.m., either ESPN2 or ESPNUSaturday, Jan. 11: at Pittsburgh, either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNUTuesday, Jan. 14: at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ACC NetworkSaturday, Jan. 18: vs. Virginia, either ESPN or ESPN2Tuesday, Jan. 21: at SMU, 9 p.m., ACC NetworkTuesday, Jan. 28: vs. Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACC NetworkSaturday, Feb. 1: at Georgia Tech, 3:45 p.m., The CWWednesday, Feb. 5: at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACC NetworkSaturday, Feb. 8: vs. MiamiWednesday, Feb. 12: at N.C. State, 7 p.m., either ESPN2 or ESPNUSunday, Feb. 16: at Notre Dame, 8 p.m., ACC NetworkSaturday, Feb. 22: vs. Florida State, noon, The CWTuesday, Feb. 25: at Virginia Tech, 9 p.m., ACC NetworkSaturday, March 1: vs. Pittsburgh, either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNUWednesday, March 5: vs. California, 9 p.m., ACC NetworkSaturday, March 8: vs. Stanford, ESPNUTuesday, March 11, through Saturday, March 15: ACC Tournament (Spectrum Center; Charlotte, North Carolina)

Player Roster

Frank Anselem-Ibe (center, fifth year)Patrick Antonelli (guard, fifth year)Terrence Edwards Jr. (guard/forward, fifth year)J’Vonne Hadley (guard, fifth year)Chucky Hepburn (guard, senior)Koren Johnson (guard, junior)Aly Khalifa (center, senior, redshirt)Spencer Legg (guard, junior)Aidan McCool (guard, graduate student)Kasean Pryor (forward, fifth year)Kobe Rodgers (guard, senior, redshirt)Khani Rooths (forward, freshman)James Scott (forward, sophomore)Cole Sherman (guard, junior)Reyne Smith (guard, senior)Aboubacar Traore (forward, senior)Noah Waterman (forward, sixth year)