What Pat Kelsey, Louisville Players Said After 88-78 Win vs. Miami

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Despite being without their best player and losing another starter early in the game, the Louisville men's basketball still found a way to come out on top with a win, earning an 88-78 victory win over Miami.

Here's what head coach Pat Kelsey, forward Noah Waterman, shooting guard Reyne Smith and guard/forward Terrence Edwards Jr. had to say following the win:

Head Coach Pat Kelsey

(Opening Statement):

“It is a really cool day getting to honor the 2005 team. Jody Demling was interviewing me and telling me about the ceremony because I was really interested in how it went. He explained how the crowd responded to the introductions of the players that were there. He said it was electric. How cool was it that Coach Rick Pitino spoke and the ovation he got? I was able to watch the video before game and when he talked about the fan base, you could almost hear his voice getting a little bit emotional. It shows just how much he loves the city of Louisville and the fan base. It was obvious how much he loved that 2005 team. It is ironic that we were honoring that team today, as I told you in the press conference on Tuesday, that in reading about that team and learning more about it, to learn that the hallmark of that team is their togetherness, their comradery, their toughness. I think Rick Pitino said at the time it was his toughest team he ever coached which is amazing because all of his teams are unbelievably tough and gritty. I think this team mirrors the qualities of that 2005 team a lot because as I read it, they didn’t have a million five-stars but just a bunch of tough gritty dudes that fought and competed. That is what this team, the 2025 edition, the Louisville Cardinals is all about.”

“With Chucky going down, obviously we were a little short-handed and then James (Scott) goes down four or five minutes into the game, but the next-man-up mentality was on full display. Guys stepped up and raised the level of their games and made contributions in different areas that they don’t normally do. They guarded positions they don’t normally do. I am just proud of our team as I have been all year long. They were resilient, gritty, tough and found a way.”

(About thanking the fans in the stands after the game)

“It was time. I always say ‘never delay gratitude’ and I delayed gratitude a little too much. They have been awesome. The crowd today was phenomenal. I think the ceremony and the 2005 and Coach Pitino’s video energized the arena. The Yum! Center was even more electric in the second half. The student body is the heart and soul of a basketball program. I say all the time, ‘it is not my program, it’s not the players’ program but in a great college basketball program the student body has ownership of the program. They were a factor today. They came in big numbers. They were loud. They weren’t just sitting there enjoying the game on their phones. They are making a difference. They deserved to be thanked. The biggest reason was maybe I just made excuses with being too busy with stuff. My mom was at my house the other day and were celebrating my daughter’s 16th birthday. My mom asked me why I hadn’t been up thanking the student body like you used to? You need to do that. Yes, ma’am. They deserved it, they’ve been awesome and we need them down the stretch at a lot of the remaining big games. But to answer your question succinctly, because Mom said so.”

(About juggling lineup around the injuries)

“I call it the advantage of no choice. We had no choice. If we were a pitching staff with the point guard position it would be Terrence (Edwards) and Pray-for-Rain. Terrence accepted that challenged and played for 40 minutes and never came out of the game. He was sensational. He had 27 points and 10 assists and five rebounds. He was awesome. Reyne (Smith) played a million minutes which was really good for us. J’Vonne (Hadley) played a million minutes for us. It was those other guys that really stepped up. I challenged Kader (Traore), I challenged Khani (Rooths) and Noah (Waterman) because we needed them. There was no one else. We needed them to step up and carry out their duties defensively and those guys responded. Every time I challenged them, they answered the call. Obviously, they contributed from a numbers standpoint but also with the great toughness that they showed.”

(On being good at going down 7&8 and coming back)

“I just think it's the makeup of our players, their competitive character, their gamers, their winners, you know. I just think, you find out what you are. I don't know who said it, but Coach Prosser, used to say it us all the time: you find out really, what's inside when you squeeze the orange. We get squeezed, and there's juice in there. And those guys, those guys are winners.”

(On offensive execution)

“We didn't go in with an being intentional about saying we're going to have to run more sets than we normally do. It was probably about the same amount. But you saw some of those concepts that, you know that we worked on, and guys were able to, we were able to take advantage of and generate some shots out of some of those things. But we didn't say, “Hey Chucky’s out, and we're going to be three yards in a cloud of dust and huddle up every time and run nine million sets. We're going to be us, and get stops and get we never said we're going to slow it down. Terrence (Edwards) played 40 minutes. Our guys are as well conditioned as anybody in the country. I tell you all the time, it's because our strength and conditioning coach is the best in the country. And moments like this, when your rotation is really short, guys got to step up. You know, that's why we work so hard. From June 5 till now, in the weight room.”

(On how close Chucky was to playing)

“It's in or out, you know, so I don't know if it's how close it's, either you can go or you can't go. And, you know, he wanted to play so bad. I mean, he's the ultimate competitor, Katie Creznic, who's our Director of Sports Medicine or trainer, as you guys know, she came with us from Charleston, and she was non-negotiable. I got to have Katie. I got to have Eli. Now I didn't have a lot of leverage in the in the in the in the negotiation. So, Josh could have said no, but I had to have them. And she did an unbelievable job. I mean, Chucky was getting treatment around the clock, and it was kind of a decision after shoot around that we just didn't think it was the smart play, and we're hoping he'll be ready for Wednesday. I have no further update.”

(Follow up on James Scott)

Yeah, James. I mean, I don't have a lot of updates right now. You know, he's been at the dentist. I don't know. He's probably not still there, but, you know, obviously teeth knocked out, his facial injuries and stuff, so I don't know anything. I mean, I'm probably talking out turn because I don't know. I just know he's at the dentist, or he's been there for a long time, so we'll know more when we have some updates”

(On Khani Rooth’s maturity as a freshman)

“Khani [Rooths] was big for us tonight. Gave us great minutes [on] both ends, and I say all the time, he is very conscientious. He studies the game, he studies our system. He wants to please so bad. He wants to do the right thing, and he's just on this team with all these older veteran guys, and he's the only freshman. So, [he] just keeps working, he’s getting better and better, plays really hard, empties the tank on every single possession. [He] just really cares about his teammates and cares about his development. He works really hard.”

(On if Reyne Smith ever doesn’t have the green light to shoot)

“His light is neon. Name a color of green that’s greener than green, he’s got it.”

Forward Noah Waterman, Shooting Guard Reyne Smith and Guard/Forward Terrence Edwards Jr.

(When is the last time that you have played point guard for an extended period in the game?)

Terrence Edwards Jr. “The last time I played a whole game at point guard was probably like sixth grade AAU. I haven’t been at the point guard like that in a long time, but my coaches got me ready for that in the summer. These guys believe in me, and it gave me max confidence coming into the game, knowing that Chucky was going to be out. Getting guys, organizing guys and getting guys involved like Reyne Smith and Noah (Waterman). It’s great because you know these guys are easy to pass to because they hit so many shots.”

(How much did you change the way you play, due to Chucky Hepburn not being in the lineup?)

Terrence Edwards Jr: “I didn’t really have to change my game, it was more of the coaches with their play calling. Whether I’m on the wing or not, I have an assignment. Today my assignment was sometimes to come off and hit Reyne (smith) right away or run a set that I’m supposed to do, whether I’m at the one or the two. It’s just about always doing my assignment and being consistent in that area.”

(What was the key to creating separation from Miami at the end?)

Reyne Smith: “We spoke at the end of the game about how it was a gritty win and it was. Credit to Miami, they came to play and played really hard, but that’s what it came down to. We had moments where we weren’t playing as hard as what we expect from ourselves, and we got coached on that in the timeouts. The guys did a great job of responding to being coached and understanding there’s more effort out there. That’s what it came down to, getting stops late and understanding that they will go on runs and we will go on runs. It’s just the game and not blinking, moving on to the next thing and controlling our effort.”

(Are you feeling pretty much back to your normal self or how much longer)

Noah Waterman: “I’m feeling pretty good from taking those games off. Last couple games we got my thumb feeling pretty good. I’m kind of working back and everything and I’m feeling great.”

(On the Reyne Smith and Terrence Edwards connecting on open threes)

Reyne Smith: “Yeah, that kind of goes into all the preparation and understanding what teams do in coverages. It changes for each game and that’s how Miami decided to guard and we figure out what works. Give credit to the coaching staff for being aware of that and coming up quickly on what coverage they’re doing and what works best for that. A lot of is in the preparation and understanding how another team would defend.”

(On changing rotations while working through team injuries)

Terrence Edwards, Jr.: “I think it’s just the adversity that we’ve been dealing with all season. We’ve got this ‘next man up’ mentality. We’ve got a lot of vets on the team who went through similar things at their past school or past situation. We don’t look at the lineups, nobody cares if they start or come off the bench. When your number is called, you have to be ready. Stuff happens. We just move to the next thing and just pray for the guy that went out. I think our team is probably the best in the country at that, just being ready for their moment. You just never know when your moment is going to come, because somebody can drop in a second.”

(Photo of Pat Kelsey: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisvilleonsi

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky