Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: 7 biggest takeaways on opening day of 2023-24 season

By Joey Loose

Nov 6, 2023; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Tyson Walker (2) walks back to the bench and the James Madison Dukes bench erupts as the final buzzer sounds at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2023; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Tyson Walker (2) walks back to the bench and the James Madison Dukes bench erupts as the final buzzer sounds at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 8
Next
Louisville Cardinals guard Mike James (0) yells after drawing the foul against UMBC Monday night at the Cardinals men’s basketball season opener. Nov.6, 2023.
Louisville Cardinals guard Mike James (0) yells after drawing the foul against UMBC Monday night at the Cardinals men’s basketball season opener. Nov.6, 2023. /

2. Kenny Payne fights on

Last season, Louisville lost their first nine games, including three straight disappointing contests at home. Last week, the Cardinals dropped an even more embarrassing contest in their exhibition against Kentucky Wesleyan, a mediocre D2 program. Clearly, this Louisville team has not been trending in a great direction since Kenny Payne took over last offseason, but the program didn’t bottom out on opening night.

Hosting a UMBC squad that’s not exactly at the same level of that Cinderella team from half a decade ago, the Cardinals almost did bottom out, trailing by as many as 13 points in the opening half of the season. However, these Cardinals held on, fought back, and pulled out a 94-93 win over the Retrievers. Mike James led the Cardinals with 25 points and 10 rebounds, though Louisville made just 14% of their 3-point attempts.

By all intents and purposes, Louisville did not play well on opening night, but they survived, pulling out a close win despite a horrid defensive effort. It wasn’t pretty, but things aren’t going to be pretty in Louisville this season if their recent performances are any indication. However, Payne won just four games in his debut season and he’s already 25% of the way there one day into the season. There’s no guarantee he’ll avoid embarrassing losses in the near future, but at least Louisville prevailed.

Home/NCAA Basketball News