Story byThe Courier JournalBrooks 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).
