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University of Louisville
South Carolina State
Balanced Effort Powers No. 11 Louisville Past South Carolina State in Season Opener, 104-45
November 04, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Louisville improves to 116-1 when scoring 100 points
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The No. 11 University of Louisville men's basketball team tipped off the 2025-26 season on Monday night, defeating South Carolina State 104-45 inside the KFC Yum! Center.
"Erik Martin, who's the coach of South Carolina State, is kind of a Cincinnati legend, that's my hometown as you guys know," said head coach Pat Kelsey. "He was on the '92 Final Four team, which is one of the great Cincinnati teams of all time. He played for Bob Huggins, who's a Cincinnati icon and then he coached under Coach Huggins. I have a ton of respect for him. His kids always play hard, just like Coach Huggins' teams did. They had a phenomenal year last year. They lost a ton of players - I think their top six scorers I believe. He's kind of rebuilding again, but I have a ton of respect for him. He's going [upward] in a coaching profession in my opinion. I was proud of our guys. In a game like that when you're up by a huge margin, it's easy to let your foot up off the gas in the possession- by-possession process that we talk about. I kept reminding those guys that the score's 0-0, don't pay attention to results, just be great in this next possession. I felt like they stayed true to our pick and roll coverage, responsibilities, our transition defense responsibilities, our guard the ball, our gaps. Because of that, we will get better coming out of this game. If it's 10 minutes left and we're up by a bunch and we just start hanging out, then we take a step backwards. So that was what I was most proud of."
The Cardinals controlled the game from start to finish, racing out to a 24-2 lead and never trailing.Â
Louisville led 59-15 going into the locker room after holding the Bulldogs to just three made field goals in the opening period. The 44-point halftime lead is the largest in program history, surpassing a 58-16 halftime lead against Rutgers on March 13, 2014.Â
Five players achieved double figures in points this evening. Sophomore Khani Rooths had a career night, leading a balanced scoring effort with career highs in points (20), rebounds (7) and assists (3). J'Vonne Hadley recorded 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds, marking the 27th time he's scored in double-figures for the Cards.
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Nine different Cards made their Louisville debuts this evening with three of them scoring in double figures. Isaac McKneely made his mark, scoring 17 points on five 3-pointers and tallying four rebounds. Ryan Conwell contributed 12 points and two assists while Mikel Brown Jr. finished with 11 points and a team-high six assists in his Louisville debut.
The Cards shot 53 percent (33-of-62) from the field and 79 percent (26-of-33) from the free-throw line while connecting on 12 triples. Defensively, Louisville held South Carolina State to just 23 percent shooting and 10 percent (2-of-19) from beyond the arc.
Louisville forced 25 turnovers, converting them into 36 points, and won the battle on the glass 47-33.
The Cards continue their season-opening homestand on Thursday, Nov. 6, hosting Jackson State at 7 p.m. ET. The game will stream live on ACC Network Extra.
