Kenny Payne will coach against John Calipari for the first time Saturday. (Twitter Photo)
Louisville still has only two wins but in the most recent loss to North Carolina State the Cardinals showed more improvement that first-year coach Kenny Payne hopes will continue against Kentucky Saturday in Rupp Arena.
Sophomore forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, a Tennessee transfer, had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds and senior forward Sydney Curry had 16 points.
“I’m seeing progress. I’m seeing guys fight more,” Payne said after the North Carolina State loss last week. “I’ve always said, ‘Brandon, I brought you here to be a double-double guy.’ I’m seeing a little bit of it. I want more of it.
“Sydney is coming along. The last three games he’s played well. He’s done some things that I like. I just need it more consistent.”
Now it was not all roses for the 2-11 Cardinals. North Carolina State went on a 17-0 run in the second half and the Cardinals had 17 turnovers.
Payne hopes having a break between North Carolina State and Kentucky will help his team mentally.
Huntley-Hatfield said the Cardinals had to have the self-discipline to stay in shape during the holiday break and reset mentally before playing at Kentucky.
Payne was with Kentucky coach John Calipari for 10 years before leaving to join the New York Knicks and then taking over at Louisville this season. Payne knows all about the “magnitude” of the UK-Louisville rivalry. Calipari is 11-3 against Louisville since taking over at UK in 2009.
