Louisville somehow has 1,000 FREE tickets to give away for the Virginia game and it blows my mind

I just don’t understand Louisville fans. Are they apathetic to the point of no return? What more do you need to see from Pat Kelsey to not give the man the support he clearly deserves? That pains me to say because I’m a Kentucky fan and I’m supposed to hate anything and everything associated with that vomit-inducing red color, but somebody’s got to say it: Kelsey has earned far more than Card Nation is giving.

Example No. 41209813: Louisville is giving away ONE THOUSAND free tickets to fans for the team’s upcoming matchup vs. Virginia via local media.

Not one, not ten, not even a hundred — three zeroes, desperate for anyone to take those tickets off their hands in hopes of putting more butts in seats.

For a weekend game, Saturday at high noon. Against conference competition. Riding a seven-game winning streak. Head coach seen as an early favorite for ACC Coach of the Year — and maybe even National Coach of the Year. Solid recruiting momentum, just a few weeks removed from signing Kelsey’s first five-star at Louisville.

Not heavily discounted, not a BOGO deal, not even Planet Fitness giveaways for paid members.

Free. First come, first served.

“Let’s reward The Revivalists for their recent efforts in bringing the program back,” Mike Rutherford, who organized the giveaway through 93.9 The Ville and 970 WGTK, said.

We’ve got 1,000 free tickets that we’re giving away for Saturday’s game against Virginia.

You can snag 2-4 tomorrow morning starting at 8:30. I’ll post the link here on my Twitter at that time.

Let’s reward The Revivalists for their recent efforts in bringing the program back. pic.twitter.com/PiL63s5wuW

— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) January 16, 2025

Credit to Rutherford and company for doing it. This is by no means a shot at those pushing for better attendance. Pat Kelsey has been a shot in the arm for a program that desperately needed one, and the on-court success has followed — the Cardinals are 13-5 and ranked No. 28 in the NET, a No. 8 seed in ESPN’s latest Bracketology despite zero NCAA Tournament appearances since 2019.

This rivalry has SUCKED for YEARS and he’s the reason it’s fun again. The least fans can do is fill the damn building (and not be BEGGED to do so). The average attendance for the first 10 home games under Kelsey, according to Brooks Holton of the Courier-Journal, is 9,556 in a venue that holds 22,090.

That’s absolutely pathetic.

NEW | A look at Louisville basketball attendance at the KFC Yum! Center through the first 10 home games of the Pat Kelsey era.

The Cards are averaging 13,625 tickets sold and 9,556 tickets scanned. Under Kenny Payne, those numbers were 11,986 and 6,504. https://t.co/2K9c1wBRcc

— Brooks Holton (@brooksHolton) January 16, 2025

Be better, Card Nation. Pat Kelsey deserves it.