The Floyd Street Tribune: A meaningful win

Inside: For everyone's sake, Louisville had to get a win. Wednesday's performance won't stem the clamoring, but it provided a blueprint for a team in need of one.

Miss the last newsletter? I broke off the beaten path, using the simulator WhatIfSports to determine the best Louisville men’s hoops squad of all-time in a highly scientific fashion. For just $7 a month, paid subscribers receive each newsletter in full and have access to each newsletter via the main TFST page.

Editor’s note: This week, I’m going to split the newsletter into two shorter versions — one from late Wednesday night scribblings and the other will be out Saturday.

A win!

I, like all of you, definitely saw that coming. For sure. No doubt about it. I even had it penned in on my calendar — Louisville wins — right on December 14. Knew it. Nailed it.

But really, on a night when Louisville fell behind 15-7 on an alley-oop and 18-10 on a 3, I just assumed that was it. Kudos to the Cardinals for digging deep, fighting back and ultimately taking control of the game, thanks in large part to hot shooting (13 of 25 from 3), making layups and dunks (12 of 14) and limiting turnovers (18.8%). It was a great night for Louisville fans, and an even bigger relief for the Cards and their coach, who really needed some good to go their way.

Win No. 1 for head coach Kenny Payne was a really important one. Not only was it historic for the program and for him, but it was so badly needed for the 2022-23 team.