Ouch! Louisville coach Kelsey injures finger trying to avoid postgame celebration

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville coach Pat Kelsey did not get through his first victory against Kentucky completely unscathed.

The second-year coach was a little late to the press conference after his 12th-ranked Cardinals defeated the No. 9 Wildcats 96-88 on Tuesday night.

When he finally appeared in the media room, his right middle finger was in a splint and taped together with his ring finger.

As Kelsey sheepishly explained to reporters, he suffered the injury trying to avoid getting mobbed by his coaching staff immediately after the win. The coaches gathered in the practice gym near the Cardinals’ locker room before entering to meet with the players after the school’s biggest win over a ranked team in almost six years and its first over the Wildcats in nearly five years.

“Now I’m 50, but I got some wheels,” he said. “There’s a curtain that separates the two halves of the court, and I try to bust through, but my finger gets caught on something.”

A team physician reset the finger, which Kelsey said was bent nearly at 90 degrees. He was also uncertain if it was broken.

“There’s so much adrenaline going on in my body right now, I didn’t feel anything,” he said.

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