Kenny Payne credits fans' loyalty amid struggles

Louisville snapped its 10-game losing streak against Georgia Tech Wednesday night. Defeating the Yellow Jackets 68-58 on their home floor, head coach Kenny Payne praised all the fans that continue to show out on a nightly basis to support the Cardinals during a historically bad season.

“I never look at social media, I never look at newspapers, radio shows, any of that. I never listen to anything,” Payne said. “When I go to games, and I listen to what [the fans] do for us, I’m inspired.”

Attendance was at about 50 percent inside the KFC Yum! Center, but those 11,416 fans cheering on the Cards were finally rewarded with their team’s first ACC win of the season.

The win is a long-time coming for Payne, who has been preaching consistency on the practice court all season long. As he’s said all season, practice makes perfect. Maybe his team is finally buying into their coaches philosophy.

“The games are like, if you’re looking at them and you’re not at practice, you’re looking at them and saying they should be better,” Payne said. “But we’re looking at them saying, we’re fighting for these kids to be competitive.

“Sometimes, they’re getting it, sometimes they aren’t. I’ve seen growth, but I need this team — even this year — I need this team to be a team whose success comes from preparation, from practice. Not a team that [wins] and fights and does it in a game but never does it in practice.”

Based on how the season has gone, Louisville will be hard pressed to find another victory before the season ends. Still, opportunities against the likes of Florida State, Georgia Tech (again) and Virginia Tech — all of which are below .500 in conference play — are real opportunities for Payne and the Cardinals to add another tally to the win column.