It wasn't an ideal start to the Kenny Payne era as the Bellarmine Knights came into the Yum! Center and took down Louisville, 67-66.

What stood out, what went wrong, and more:

Look, I'm not going to do any moral victory talk. Regardless of the circumstances, Louisville should never lose to Bellarmine. Never. That's not a slight against Scott Davenport and his program, but it's the reality. You can't lose that game. Even with a roster that isn't up to Louisville's standards, you still should be able to overwhelm a smaller, less athletic, and less-talented Bellarmine squad.

Now that we have that out of the way:

- Louisville opened the game with incredible energy and effort. Louisville was locked in on both sides of the floor. Louisville was out in the passing lanes, leading to a Jae'Lyn Withers dunk. And Louisville built a 13-5 lead because of that.

- Despite Bellarmine having Louisville on the ropes, Louisville played with their hair on fire during the last five minutes. Louisville ended the game on an 11-0 run, held Bellarmine scoreless over the last 4:41, and forced four turnovers over that stretch.

- Individual players: Mike James showed what he can be, and he showed that the buzz and hype around him last summer was real. James finished with 16 points in 33 minutes, and he let the offense come to him. He took shots in rhythm, he didn't try to do too much, and he's a legitimate option on offense. You can't say this about everyone, but Jae'Lyn Withers seems to have benefited in a major way from this new coaching staff. Withers is playing at an extremely high level, and his confidence is back where it needs to be. He's being a vocal leader, and he looked like the best player on the floor for much of that game.

Louisville started the game strong and finished the game strong, but during large portions of the game, Louisville let missed shots on the offensive end impact how they defend. When you do that against a team as disciplined as Bellarmine, 17-2 runs happen. Bellarmine knew that Louisville has a tendency to drop off on the defensive end when shots don't fall, and they exploited it.

Sydney Curry's hot play in spurts from last year hasn't carried over to this year --- yet.

"We all know who Sydney Curry is. He's one of the best bigs in the ACC."

"You'll see Sydney Curry soon," Mike James told the media following the game.

Against a much smaller Bellarmine squad, Curry didn't attempt a field goal, and had zero points in 16 minutes. If Louisville wants to turn this around, getting Curry going has to be a priority.

The bigs as a group didn't dominate. They didn't play big. Louisville as a team got out-scored in the paint. That is unfathomable.

El Ellis played all 40 minutes. That's a disservice to Ellis, and when the game is on the line, your point guard can't be dog tired. Even if Fabio Basili and Hercy Miller aren't ready, you're going to have to let them play through their mistakes.