The Louisville Cardinals are going to need a new head coach sooner than anyone hoped.
According to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, Louisville head coach Kenny Payne is going to lose his job "sooner rather than later" after opening the season at 5-6.
"My personal belief is that Kenny Payne will be fired before the end of 2023," Norlander said, referencing waning fan interest and attendance. "...Louisville will be moving on from Kenny Payne. The expectation is that will happen sooner rather than later and that they will not drag this out over the course of the entire season. But a final decision as of Friday afternoon has not been made."
Lousiville could fire Kenny Payne before the end of the year
Norlander's comments were made before Louisville beat Pepperdine on Sunday, 85-63. That victory was little more than a bandaid for the Cardinals who had been on a three-game losing streak. They will face a tough road over the next month including matchups with ranked teams like Kentucky, Virginia, Miami, North Carolina, Duke and Clemson.
Payne has faced criticism for the performance of his team on the court. He was 4-28 in his first season and followed that up with a losing record in out-of-conference play in 2023.
As if the on-the-court performance wasn't bad enough, Payne has also had some difficulties managing the program off the court. Koron Davis' dismissal from the program — after Louisville claimed he intended to transfer and he disputed that claim — was an embarrassment compounded by a home blowout to Arkansas State.
Athletic director Josh Heird reportedly met with Louisville players to get their thoughts on the situation surrounding Payne. After the Peperdine game, Payne denied having any conversations with Heird about his job security.
So it's a wait-and-see situation with Thursday's game against Kentucky looming. Will Louisville let Payne lead them out for that game? An answer will come in the next couple of days.