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Cardinals Route Bucknell in 2nd Preseason Tune-Up, Boost Confidence Before Season Opener
October 28. KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Game Recap
On Tuesday night, Louisville defeated the Bucknell Bison in the Kentuckiana Friends of V Classic 99 to 76, concluding the Cardinals’ preseason competition in preparation for the regular season. The Cardinals have shown instant improvement since their exhibition loss to Kansas last Friday, highlighting a priority to get more involvement from their new frontcourt, including Sananda Fru, Aly Khalifa, and Vangelis Zougris. 2nd-year Head Coach Pat Kelsey spoke of the importance and prioritization of paint touches per game, stating, “We gauge force in our ability to touch the paint, we have a number we want to hit…” Similar to the offensive importance of ball movement, Kelsey made note that the team has a goal and number in mind to limit the number of paint touches by the opposing team. Although Louisville was outscored in the paint, similar to the exhibition against Kansas, there were still many signs of promise. Aly Khalifa logged five assists, with Fru and Zougris combining for five blocked shots. Fru had eleven points in the contest, going 4 of 5 from the field and a three-pointer on his lone attempt.
The backcourt impressed in many ways, too. Star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. did what most Cardinal fans were hoping he could. He scored a game-high twenty-eight points on 8 of 11 from behind the arc, 1 of the 8 triples being a buzzer beater to close the first half on a 21 to 3 Cardinal run. Additionally, Brown retrieved four rebounds and six assists on just one turnover. Highly touted transfers Ryan Conwell (Xavier) and Isaac McKneely (Virginia) also played much better than their first exhibition. They combined for thirty-three points on 10 threes and were very active on the full-court press and crashing the boards after missed shots. Louisville shot fifty percent from both the field and from three, attempting just 16 of their 62 shots inside the arc.
It was not all about the Cardinals, however. The Bucknell Bison of the Patriot League had three scorers in double figures (Ruot Bijiek, 15; Aleksander Pachucki, 12; Amon Dörries, 11) and had 28 free throw attempts, converting 22. In the first half, Bucknell earned their way to the bonus just over halfway through the half. The ability to get to the line and draw fouls in large part contributed to the Bison’s close contention and having the lead at times (largest lead at 5 points) prior to Louisville’s 21-3 run to close the half. Bucknell drew twenty-one fouls from the Cardinals, with twelve of the twenty-one resulting in the first half of play. In the second half, the Bison made 5 threes on 12 attempts, 3 of the 5 splashed by sophomore Aleksander Pachucki. On Tuesday night, Bucknell attacked the paint with control and patience. Whether scoring a bucket, kicking out for a three, or drawing a foul, Bucknell had early success. They outscored Louisville 24-16 in the paint, and outrebounded Louisville on the offensive glass, nine to eight. This is a Bucknell team that has size in the frontcourt, athleticism in the backcourt, and the right coaching by third-year coach John Griffin III to bid their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.
Who’s Next?
The Louisville Cardinals will begin their 2025-26 campaign on Monday, hosting South Carolina State at 9pm ET on ACC Network, followed by Jackson State on Thursday at 7pm ET. The Cards will then welcome in-state rival Kentucky on November 11th as they attempt to beat the Wildcats for the first time since 2020. This will be the earliest regular-season tip-off in the history of the prestigious rivalry.
The Bucknell Bison will host their season opener against Delaware on Monday at 7pm ET before traveling to Emmitsburg, Maryland, to take on Mount St. Marys on November 7th.
About the Kentuckiana Friends of V
The KFV is a non-profit cancer research group that partners with Norton Children’s Hospital, Kentucky Children’s Hospital, and the University of Louisville School of Medicine. It was founded by ESPN Louisville’s Bob Valvano, brother of champion coach, athlete, and larger-than-life icon Jim Valvano, in July of 2018. The KFV worked under the V Foundation for more than 20 years before gaining its blessing to “raise the money locally and keep it locally!” The Kentuckiana Friends of V Classic was a fundraising event to raise money for cancer research and treatment, as Louisville hosted Bucknell, a team Jim Valvano coached from 1972-75.
If you wish to donate or learn more information about the KFV, visit kfv.org.
