Louisville made a statement in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament with an 89-61 upset of No. 14 Indiana on Wednesday in Nassau, Bahamas. The Cardinals jumped out to a 37-29 halftime advantage and outscored the Hoosiers by 20 points after intermission for the program’s first win over a ranked opponent since January 2021.
Four Louisville players scored at least 12 points in the win, with Chucky Hepburn and Noah Waterman leading the way with 16 points each. USF transfer Kasean Pryor recorded 14 points and seven rebounds, and Reyne Smith added 12 points off the bench to help Louisville move to 4-1 on the season. The Cardinals’ lone loss came against Tennessee at home earlier this month.
After two abysmal seasons under former coach Kenny Payne, Louisville hired former College of Charleston coach Pat Kelsey this offseason to rescue the Cardinals. Louisville has already matched its win total from the 2022-23 season (four) and is on track to exceed its 8-24 record last season.
Indiana suffered its first loss of the season after starting 4-0 with wins over SIUE, Eastern Illinois, South Carolina and UNC Greensboro. After missing the NCAA Tournament in 2024, it’s a critical season for IU coach Mike Woodson, who is in his fourth season at his alma mater.
“I thought (Louisville) came out in the very beginning, and they punched us,” Woodson told reporters after the loss. “We didn’t respond … As a coach, I’ve got to get this team more ready to go.”
Louisville will face the winner of Gonzaga-West Virginia on Thursday in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Indiana will meet the loser of the Gonzaga-West Virginia game in the consolation bracket.
