Louisville coach Kenny Payne says he was 'tricked' by Indiana zone defense adjustment
Louisville coach Kenny Payne told reporters on Monday night that he was not prepared for a late-game adjustment by Indiana on Monday night.
The Cardinals fell 74-66 on Monday night in the Empire Classic despite holding a lead late in the second half. Indiana closed on a 13-2 run over the final 3:38 of the game.
JJ Traynor dunked the ball with 4:23 remaining to give Louisville a 64-61 lead. After that basket was scored, the Cardinals didn’t score again until a meaningless layup by Skyy Clark with just 4 seconds remaining.
Payne said he and his coaching staff did not prepare for the possibility of Indiana going to a zone defense, which it deployed down the stretch.
“He tricked me,” Payne said, referring to Mike Woodson.
Kenny Payne says they didn't discuss the possibility of #iubb going to a zone. Said he never thought Mike Woodson would go to a zone defense.
"He tricked me."
— Seth Tow (@SethTow) November 21, 2023
Louisville is now 2-3 on the season. The Cardinals went 0-2 in the Empire Classic this weekend, also losing to Texas.
Louisville will face New Mexico State on Sunday.
