Pat Kelsey took over a Louisville men’s basketball program that had truly hit rock bottom.
The program—traditionally one of the nation’s powers—had fallen on hard times in the wake of Rick Pitino’s ouster in 2017. Following a season under interim coach David Padgett, the Cardinals hired Xavier’s Chris Mack, who led them back to the NCAA tournament in ‘19 and put together an impressive 24–7 campaign in ‘20—before March Madness was ultimately canceled due to COVID-19. His tenure stalled out, and he was dismissed early in the 2021–22 campaign. The program brought in one of its own, Kenny Payne—a member of the 1986 national championship team and a successful assistant at rival Kentucky—but his tenure was an abject disaster, with the Cardinals going just 12–52 with five total ACC wins across two seasons. Louisville finished last in the conference both years.
