What Louisville HC Pat Kelsey Said After 95-85 Loss at SMU

Listen to what the head coach of the Cardinals said after their loss to the Mustangs:

Feb 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey reacts to a call during the second half against the SMU Mustangs at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As quickly as it started, the Louisville men's basketball's program winning streak is no longer.

The Cardinals made the trip to SMU with hopes of both extending their five-game winning streak and pulling off the regular season sweep over the Mustangs. However, neither came to fruition, as UofL was dealt a 95-85 defeat at Moody Coliseum.

"A lot of credit to SMU," head coach Pat Kelsey said after the game. "Thought they played great tonight. ... They made a lot of tough shots. Some of them were 'tip your cap type' shots, but when you let good scorers get in a rhythm like that, and they see it go in, then it becomes easy for them.

"Like I said, I thought we competed and played hard. Our rebounding numbers were very good, but the offensive end, we didn't play very efficient. We had 17 turnovers, which is uncharacteristic of our team. But you can't defend like that and turn the ball over like that. That's a recipe for losing a conference game on the road."

From the moment the ball was tipped, Louisville could not establish any defensive presence. They allowed SMU to shoot 58.5 percent from the field, which was their highest opponent shooting percentage allowed in Kelsey's two years at the helm. Their 95 points allowed was also a Kelsey-era worst.

While the Cards shot 44.8 percent from the floor themselves, their 17 turnovers was their most this season. Mikel Brown Jr. (29 points) and J'Vonne Hadley (14 points) combined to shoot 17-of-28 (60.7 percent), while the rest of Louisville was only 13-of-39 overall (33.3 percent).

"I thought early on in the game, there wasn't a lot of bite, if you will, to our defense. ... I thought their moving parts were faster than our moving parts defensively for the majority of the first half," Kelsey said. "Then we had a spell where were guarding pretty well, and then they really got on a run in the second half. Turnovers late really hurt us, too. Can't have empty possessions like that in a big time game against a really good team on the road."

Here's what head coach Pat Kelsey had to say following the loss:

Head Coach Pat Kelsey

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(Photo of Pat Kelsey: Jerome Miron - Imagn Images)

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