Despite a very impressive run through the ACC Tournament, including a Chucky Hepburn buzzer-beater in the quarterfinals on Thursday and a dramatic win over Clemson in the semifinals on Friday night, Louisville basketball couldn’t get over the line in the end.
Despite a very competitive game against the top seed, Duke eventually pulled away from Louisville thanks to a second half heater from Tyrese Proctor and won the ACC title game 73-62.
Louisville came into the game with a lot of key injuries. The Cardinals have played most of the season without backup guard Koren Johnson and key forward Kasean Pryor, who are both out for the season. Star guard Reyne Smith also didn’t play in the ACC Tournament after injuring his ankle on March 5, but Kelsey says he should be returning soon, via Michael McCammon of 247 Sports.
“Yeah, Reyne is going to be ready to go for the NCAA Tournament,” Kelsey said of the Louisville guard after the loss. “He’s really, really close today. We’re excited. Medical staff has done an unbelievable job. He’s been working tirelessly on his rehab and his recovery, but he’s going to be ready to go.”
Smith is a crucial component of Louisville’s offense. He is the third-leading scorer on the team at 13.4 points per game and leads the team by a mile with 106 made 3-pointers this season.
Adding Smith back into the mix before the NCAA Tournament should open up the floor for a Cardinals squad that struggled to score against Duke’s elite defense in the second half, even without Cooper Flagg in the lineup. With Jon Scheyer and company dialed in on slowing down Hepburn, who finished just 5-for-16 shooting, Terrence Edwards Jr. carried the load with 29 points.
This Louisville basketball team is headed for a middle seed in the NCAA Tournament, somewhere between Nos. 6 and 8 on the seed lines. Kelsey and company have only lost two games since the calendar flipped to 2025, so they should still come into March Madness with more confidence than just about anyone. Getting Smith back should only boost that.
The post Louisville’s Pat Kelsey gives crucial Reyne Smith injury update before March Madness appeared first on ClutchPoints.
