Ty-Laur Johnson was a big reason why the Louisville men's basketball team pulled off a comeback win over Bellarmine on Wednesday night.

A wardrobe issue almost prevented that from happening.

When asked why Johnson, a 6-foot freshman point guard, played only 2 minutes, 35 seconds during the first half of U of L's 73-68 win over the Knights, head coach Kenny Payne said, "We didn't have the tights that he wanted."

"He didn't know if he wanted to play," Payne said. "We didn't have the tights that he wanted, that we've never had for him, and he decided, 'I don't feel like I can go.' That's what young people do.

"But he figured it out in the second half. He accepted the fact that we didn't have the tights that we've never had for him and he played. And he played well."

Payne prefaced this story statement by saying, "I probably shouldn't tell you this."

It puzzled those attending his postgame news conference and Knights head coach Scott Davenport.

"I cannot comprehend that," Davenport said.

Johnson, a Brooklyn native, did not score a point during his limited first-half run. He went 0 for 2 from the field, grabbed a rebound and was charged with a personal foul.

When asked if he had to have a "heart-to-heart" conversation with Johnson at halftime, Payne said, "Yes, I did."

He would not get into specifics about what transpired at the break but said Johnson's mind "got changed."

"This is a new day and age, a new generation of young people," he added. "They're learning what it means to be a part of a team. They're learning what it means to be kids of character. They're learning. They're learning. All of them are learning.

"In your minds, you're looking like, 'I can't believe he just said that.' That's what it's (like) coaching young people."

Payne on Nov. 20 told The Courier Journal that Johnson sustained a groin injury and asked to be subbed out late in the second half of Louisville's eight-point loss to Indiana at the Empire Classic.

When asked Wednesday if Johnson wanted that specific pair of tights because of the injury, Payne said, "I have no idea."

Across 16 minutes during the second half against Bellarmine, Johnson scored eight points on 3-for-7 shooting and dished out a team-high five assists. He finished the game with a +11 plus-minus rating.

When asked about the tights situation after the game, sophomore guard Skyy Clark said he and other players at halftime "reminded" Johnson that he's "a really big piece on this team."

"He's an Energizer Bunny," Clark said. "We need him on the floor at all times."

"We've all been freshmen before; we're gonna learn," he added. "But, like I said, we need him on the floor; because he really gets us going."

Johnson is averaging 8.9 points on 39.5% shooting through the first seven games of his college career. He leads the Cardinals with 26 assists, good for 3.7 per contest.

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kenny Payne on Ty-Laur Johnson's tights in Louisville vs. Bellarmine