LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – There will be no caveats. At least, not for at least 300 words. If you are a Louisville basketball fan, you get to enjoy this 89-61 demolition of No. 14 Indiana in the Battle 4 Atlantis without critical analytic interruption.
You get to enjoy ESPN’s Jay Williams at halftime saying, “It is good to have Louisville basketball back.”
After what this fan base has endured. The FBI on campus. The painful takedown of Rick Pitino (and Tom Jurich). That loss to Virginia when Deng Adel walked on the baseline. The frustration of the Chris Mack era and its bizarre end. Two-and-a-half seasons in the Wilderness. The losses to Bellarmine and Wright State and App State. The embarrassing losses in Maui. The two-year span with 12 wins.
When freshman Khani Rooths soared down the court to slam home a fast-break lob to put Louisville up 30 midway through the second half on Wednesday, Thanksgiving came early. Another couple of easy baskets later, Louisville had made 17 of its last 18 field goal attempts, and was up by 34.
This was, perhaps, extreme catharsis if you’re a Cardinal fan. Or Card-tharsis, or something.
There was no way Mike Woodson was going to trick his way out of this one. He might have to get pretty tricky to hang onto his job after this kind of undressing.
Game ball to Chucky Hepburn. He got Louisville off to a good start. In the absence of backup point Koren Johnson, he has elevated his offensive game. Looking a bit more to score, then playing off defensive adjustments. He finished with 16 points, 10 assists and seven steals. He went 7-of-10 from the field and held Indiana point guard Myles Rice to 1-of-11 shooting and just three points. He was the first Louisville player to get a double-double with at least seven steals since Peyton Siva in 2011.
And deliver a game ball to Pat Kelsey. Louisville won this game with execution and game-planning and experience. Not to mention he matched his predecessor's Year 1 win total before Thanksgiving. It was his second career win over a ranked opponent.
Indiana was deflated. It lost its will sometime early in the second half. It got nothing from the guard spot.
It will get no mercy from Louisville or its fans. They’ve been watching this kind of helplessness for more than two years. The walk-ons at the end of games.
Has it been 300 words? Barely.
Indiana was uninspired. It looked sluggish. It played poorly, and Woodson was out-planned and out-performed on the other sideline. And this wasn't just any opponent. It was an Indiana team ranked No. 15 in the nation.
It was Louisville's first win over a nationally ranked opponent since Jan. 6, 2021.
You can’t overstate the importance of this win for Louisville, which has games against (potentially) Gonzaga, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Duke in the next three weeks.
The energy and physicality Louisville showed Wednesday was at a level it never reached in a 22-point loss to Tennessee at home. It will, guaranteed, meet more resistance against the other good teams on its short-term schedule.
But it showed some important elements in this one. It showed an impressive defensive gear against a good – if not multi-dimensional – Indiana offense.
After being bullied in the paint all season, Louisville outscored Indiana in the paint, 48-20.
Louisville did it with balance. It did it with early three-point shooting. It outscored Indiana 27-8 off turnovers.
Whether this was a new beginning or an early season anomaly, I don’t know. Whether this reveals real promise in Louisville or serious flaws in Indiana, or both, who knows?
I just know this: Louisville fans ought to enjoy this win and this day and this feeling. They deserve that much.
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
