Kenny Payne has seen enough from his 2023-24 Louisville men’s basketball team to say the new-look Cardinals boast more talent, chemistry and competitiveness than the group that lost a program-record 28 games last season.

A low bar to clear — but heading into Wednesday night’s Red and White intrasquad scrimmage, the second-year head coach asked the city to judge for itself. 

“I want the people who see them play — for the first time, the second time, throughout the season — for them to say, ‘Wow, this is totally different. They are connected; they are one; they are fighting,'” Payne told reporters Monday. 

“Doesn’t mean they win every game; they’re going to have highs and lows, but there’s going to be — there should be — a connectedness with this group that jumps off at you after what we had and what we went through last year.”

As Payne predicted, there were highs and lows on both sides of the Red team’s 62-51 victory at the KFC Yum! Center. But he called the scrimmage, “a step in the right direction.”

“I hope that you guys can see it; we are way further along than we were a year ago at this time,” Payne said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we have the ingredients to be a pretty good team, both offensively and defensively.”

Here are three things we learned as the Cards now set their sights on an Oct. 18 exhibition against Simmons College:

There were plenty of empty seats at the Yum! Center

Wednesday night’s scrimmage was not televised or streamed, leaving some fans to theorize on X — the social media platform formerly known as Twitter — that U of L did so to entice people to show up to the Yum! Center after sparse crowds became commonplace during what went down as the worst season in modern program history. 

“I got to have people in the stands who are supporting them — supporting them knowing that they’re not going to be perfect, supporting them knowing I’m not going to be perfect,” Payne said Monday during the team’s annual tipoff luncheon. 

“These guys need to know that you’re fighting with them,” he later added, “so that they fight with everything in their body.”

His vision didn’t exactly come to fruition. The official attendance: 5,719 — not bad for a glorified practice tipping off at 7 p.m. on a weeknight but leaving plenty to be desired for what has historically been one of college basketball’s most prominent brands when compared to the energetic crowds at the Louisville Live pep rallies of years past. 

Both sides of the Yum! Center’s lower bowl were relatively full; and there was a good showing as far as the two rows of courtside seating were concerned. But the upper level of the arena was curtained off from spectators; and both end zones were noticeably empty — especially where the student section is normally positioned.

At least one member of the team, however, was impressed by the energy he felt on the court.

“I know they say, ‘The fans in Louisville are crazy,’ but we can actually feed off it,” said Tre White, a second-year Southern California transfer. “It’s crazy just to have that (for) a scrimmage, so I’m just excited for what’s to come.”

Only time will tell if things improve when the Cards host Simmons for another 7 p.m. tipoff next Wednesday; but perhaps the fan base is also taking a wait-and-see approach after the disastrous start to Payne’s tenure. 

Tre White is as good as advertised 

It didn’t take long for White to showcase why he was a member of the Pac-12’s All-Freshman team last season. 

“What I saw from him tonight is the reason why I brought him here,” Payne said.

The Dallas native led all scorers at halftime with 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting to go along with four rebounds and three assists. He finished with a game-high 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes. 

“He was the most unselfish player,” Payne said, “and that guy ended up getting the most points. He got assists; he played the right way; he looked to get people shots; he didn’t play for him.”

Dennis Evans is a difference maker

Louisville hasn’t had a 7-footer patrolling the paint since Anas Mahmoud did so from 2014-18. 

Dennis Evans’ college debut reminded everyone in the Yum! Center just how big of an impact one can make on a game. In 24 minutes, the big man from Riverside, California, logged 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting, five rebounds and a game-high five blocks.

It’s a stat line one would expect from someone with a 9-8 standing reach and 7-7 wingspan — and one U of L will need if it wants to accomplish White’s goal of being “one of the best defensive teams in the country.”

“He changes so much,” sophomore point guard Skyy Clark said of Evans. “Five blocks — you guys are going to see that all season. I think he should average that.”

Payne said he was “very happy” with what he saw from Evans, who arrived at U of L this summer as the No. 3 center and No. 27 overall prospect in the Class of 2023 on the 247Sports composite. And the most encouraging part is his coach sees plenty of room for growth.

“There are a bunch of different things that I think his development entails,” Payne said. “The greatest thing about Dennis Evans is that, every single day, he comes in here and tries to learn as much as possible.”

This story will be updated.

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Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.