Louisville Houses Indiana, 89-61

The game wasn't even that close.

I almost have no words for what just happened. The Louisville Cardinals started out its Battle 4 Atlantis gauntlet with an absolute ass-kicking over the 14th ranked Indiana Hoosiers.

At the start of the game, it looked like Indiana's star center, Oumar Ballo, was going to own the paint against Louisville, as he started with 8 quick points in the game. However, Louisville's pesky defense would render him effectively useless, especially on the defensive end, where he was a traffic cone on the perimeter for Chucky Hepburn in the pick-and-roll game. 

Indiana opened the contest with a 10-2 advantage on the backboard, but that would drastically change as the game went on. The final rebounding margin was 40-35 in favor of Indiana, which was heavily skewed by a ton of offense rebounds with little time left in the game.

The only player who really had a pulse throughout the game for the Hoosiers was Junior, Malik Reneau, who had a great day against the Cards. He finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Beyond his performance, Indiana's day was filled with turnovers and bricked shots.

Louisville's performance was much more balanced, as the Cards had four players with 12 or more points, and three more with 8 points. It was the well-rounded game from the entire roster that the Cards will need to have against top-level teams.

Indiana didn't lose today for a lack of effort--they were simply out-played and out-coached by a hungrier, more prepared team in Louisville. The Cardinals still had plenty of blemishes of their own, however, as they finished with 15 turnovers and committed more fouls than the Hoosiers.

The star of the game was Louisville point guard, Chucky Hepburn. He absolutely dominated the contest, finishing with 16 points, 10 assists, and 7(!) steals. He was the first Cardinal to put up a stat line like that since Peyton Siva in 2011, ironically against St. Johns. Chucky definitely has a similar game to Siva, but is an overall better offensive player, thanks to his three point shooting prowess. If Hepburn plays like this consistently, Louisville will be a very tough out. 

My assessment of Louisville in the previous article may have been a bit harsh. I thought they were a poor shooting team relative to fans' expectations, were passive, and gave up too many turnovers. Those can still be considered flaws of the team, but when they shoot well, it mitigates many of their weaknesses. Furthermore, since they force some of the most turnovers in the country, it also counter balances the turnovers the Cards cough up. One underrated stat that should be looked at in every single big game UofL plays this year is points off turnovers--for both sides. Today, Louisville had 30, while Indiana only had 13. The pace of the game had the Hoosiers in the blender all game. Now, Mike Woodson will have to provide some answers for the team's performance today--and quickly.

In terms of the team's toughness, it can't be questioned in today's game. They played possibly the most talented front court in the country today between Ballo and Reneau, but neither had nearly enough of an impact to grab a win for IU. UofL put them on islands on the perimeter all game, forcing them to guard, which tired them out in the second half. Once Louisville smelled blood in the water, the whole team stepped on Indiana's neck. The largest lead the Cards had in this game was 38! Just a phenomenal showing by UofL. 

Today was so cathartic for Louisville fans. I was watching the game with my best friend, and we let out some of the loudest screams during the sequence in which Noah Waterman buried a three, leading to a turnover and powerful slam by Kasean Pryror, putting the Cards up 48-31. After that, the momentum was in their hands, and Louisville was off to the races.

Who knows where UofL will go the rest of this season. But it's the first time we've beat a ranked team since early 2021 against Duke, and the first EVER win over a ranked opponent by Pat Kelsey. If they somehow can win the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, then Louisville will already have an NCAA Tournament-level resume. Let's keep stacking wins.

Next up for the Cards will be either third-ranked Gonzaga, or upstart West Virginia, with new head coach, Darian DeVries from Drake. The game is currently in overtime, so both the Cards and Hoosiers will be the beneficiaries of playing tired teams. 

Go Cards.