Is it even embarrassing at this point?
The latest new low of the Kenny Payne era came Friday night when a Chattanooga team picked to finish fifth in the Southern Conference left the KFC Yum Center with an 81-71 victory.
The loss was the first double-digit home loss in November against an unranked opponent in Cardinal basketball history. Chattanooga was also 0-18 all-time on the road against ACC opponents. Hurray for more history.
Chattanooga, which led the nation in three-point percentage last season, wasn’t afraid to start from the outside right from the jump. The Mocs built a 10-point lead in the first half, thanks largely to five three-pointers from sophomore guard Honor Huff. UTC led 33-27 at halftime, and 23 of its 35 field goal attempts came from beyond the arc.
Things got even worse for Louisville after the two teams returned from the locker room. The Mocs continued to start from the outside. The cardinals continued to refuse to guard them. The result was that the visitors built a lead of up to 21.
Chattanooga finished the game 14 of 34 from long range, becoming the 14th Louisville opponent to make at least 14 three-pointers in a game against the Cards.
Mike James and Tre White led U of L with 17 points each.
On this day two years ago, Louisville hadn’t lost a November home game since 1972. Kenny Payne is now 1-5 in November home games, with two home game losses to boot.
At this point, it’s hard not to feel like this is all just an embarrassing waste of time.
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