What Louisville HC Pat Kelsey, G Isaac McKneely Said After 100-59 Win at Pitt

Listen to what the head coach of the Cardinals and their starting shooting guard said after their win over the Panthers:

Jan 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey reacts on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH. - It's hard to look much better than the Louisville men's basketball program did on Saturday night.

The Cardinals made their way up to the Steel City for a road ACC contest with Pitt, and wound up leaving the Petersen Events Center with a 100-59 victory over the Panthers. Louisville got back to .500 in ACC play with the win.

Offensively, Louisville looked like how we expected them to coming into the season. They shot a season-best 63.2 percent from the field, tied their season-high in assists with 24, while also going 15-of-29 from deep. Defensively, they took a step forward, holding Pitt to just 38.2 percent shooting and out-rebounding them 35-to-24.

Ryan Conwell led the charge for Louisville, scoring a game-high 24 points while dishing out six assists and corralling six rebounds. J'Vonne Hadley added 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds, Adrian Wooley and Sananda Fru both notched 12 points, while Isaac McKneely finished with 11 points.

"I talked to [Pitt head coach] Jeff Capel right after the game, very brief, and I was just like, 'Man, it was just one of those nights.' We played really well. I was proud of our team,” head coach Pat Kelsey said. “It was extremely player-lead. They were awesome the last couple of days in practice - they’re always awesome in their professionalism and in their process and things like that. We’ve faced some adversity here recently, and the process in practice, the leadership was phenomenal. I mean, I went into some of these huddles tonight, and I just stood there until they were done talking. There were times the timeout was almost over and they were still talking, and I love that. This guy [Isaac McKneely] is one of them. The voices I heard, they were fixing stuff before it was broken. It was good.

"We’ve harped on playing desperate, and it helped the ball went in early, it got us off to a great start, but I told Coach Capel before the game too [that] watching his team play against Georgia Tech the other day on the road - just how desperate they played - and they really had our guys’ attention just because of how tough and gritty they were in that game. It’s just hard when somebody jumps on you like that, it kind of gets away from you a little bit, but [Pitt] is a dangerous team. I’m proud of our guys. We are fortunate to come out with a big road win.” 

Here's what head coach Pat Kelsey and shooting guard Isaac McKneely had to say following the win:

Head Coach Pat Kelsey and Shooting Guard Isaac McKneely

(Photo of Pat Kelsey: Charles LeClaire - Imagn Images)

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