Brooks Holton, Louisville Courier JournalWed, January 14, 2026 at 2:23 AM UTC·1 min readThis time last year, Pat Kelsey was the new kid on the block leading a built-from-scratch Louisville basketball roster on a demolition tour of the ACC.
Tuesday night, he got a taste of his own medicine courtesy of a colleague with whom he rose through the coaching ranks, Virginia’s Ryan Odom.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe No. 16 Cavaliers (15-2, 4-1 ACC) opened on 14-0 run and didn't look back — handing the 19th-ranked Cardinals (12-5, 2-3) their third loss in four games, 79-70.
Odom’s inaugural roster at UVA, like Kelsey’s at UofL last year, returned 0.1% minutes from the previous season, a sub-.500 campaign after Hall of Famer Tony Bennett announced his retirement less than a month before the first game.
Different circumstances than what Kelsey inherited. The Cavaliers won more games in 2024-25 (15) than Louisville did during Kenny Payne's disastrous two-year tenure (12). But in this era of unprecedented player movement, the bar is still very much high at these proud programs.
“That’s the new standard,” Kelsey said Monday, during a Zoom call with ACC coaches. “It’s not an option anymore to get a job and take three or four years to turn it around. With the transfer portal, the expectation is to do that."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 50-year-old Cincinnati native has certainly righted the ship in the 502, teaching a hoops-crazed city how to dream big again. But the Cards have never been more off course under his direction than they are right now.
This story will be updated.
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball struggles continue in loss to resurgent Virginia
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