Kenny Payne reveals Louisville's mindset entering ACC Tournament

No Power Six conference program had a worse season than Louisville. Head coach Kenny Payne was always going to have a tough task ahead of him and while there have been small glimmers, the Cardinals struggled for the majority of the year. A 15-point loss to Virginia on Saturday was just the latest example.

Lucky for them, the regular season is off their plate and we now enter postseason play. Louisville will have an opportunity, just as every team in the country, to automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament via a conference tournament.

Payne views the ACC Tournament as a new season but admits Louisville still has to play better. If they are not able to correct a few things, the trip to Greensboro will be a short one.

“At this point, it’s a new season,” Payne said. “Zero and zero. We have a lot of experience in what not to do. The things that we’ve done well, we better really be in tune to it. And then things that we haven’t done well, we better be ready to correct it. If not, it will be a one-game season for us, which is tournament play.”

Even with the bad play as of late, Payne is optimistic about his team heading into the tournament. He believes some mental toughness is needed and the reset could help. Payne thinks Louisville is physically capable of competing against ACC opponents.

“I think that we’re capable,” Payne said. “But it’s more, for me, as I think about why. Why is there a vast difference between one half and the next? Why is there a lack of energy and effort to defend? It comes back to me as being mental, not physical.”

Louisville will play in the first round on Wednesday, coming in as the No. 15 seed. Boston College will be the opponent, someone the Cardinals lost to by 10 on the road earlier in the season. However, as Payne said, this is a new season.

If a win is achieved, Lousiville would get to face off against North Carolina in the second round. A tough sled is ahead before the book is ultimately closed and everyone in the Bluegrass State moves onto the 2023-2024 season.