LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Public calls for University of Louisville men's basketball coach Kenny Payne to lose his job are growing louder by the day, but don't expect a move to be made in the immediate future.
The university said Friday that Payne will continue as head coach "into the new year." The Cardinals are 5-7 on the season and lost to rival Kentucky Thursday night by 19 points.
The basketball program will continue to be evaluated throughout the season.
Louisville won just four games last season in Payne's first as head coach. The Cardinals (5-7, 0-1 ACC) have shown little improvement this year, which includes losses to DePaul, Chattanooga and Arkansas State - two of them at home.
Attendance has been space at the KFC Yum! Center for many of UofL's home games. Several fans could be seen at Thursday's game wearing paper bags over their head.
Louisville is 9-35 under Payne. His teams have yet to win a true road game in his tenure.
According to terms of Payne's contact, which was obtained recently by WHAS11 through an open records request, the university would owe Payne $8 million if he is fired before March 31, 2024. That number drops to $6 million on April 1.
There has also been drama off the court this season, most recently when guard Koron Davis was dismissed from the team last week.
Davis, who transferred to Louisville from a California junior college before the season, never played in a regular season game. He was away from the team in his last few weeks on the roster, sometimes seen in the crowd during games and not on the bench.
UofL released an initial statement Dec. 13 saying Davis informed the team he was entering the transfer portal. Davis then posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that wasn't true and he never told anyone he was transferring.
The team then released a second statement saying Davis was dismissed. Payne has not given a reason for the confusion or why Davis was removed from the team.