Louisville obliterates Indiana in Battle 4 Atlantis opener

Ohhhhhhh my goodness

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

In a game that it felt like Louisville fans had been waiting a half decade for, the Cardinals obliterated No. 14 Indiana, 89-61, in the quarterfinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

I’m sitting here still in a happy stupor just sort of trying to figure out how to process what we just watched.

On Thanksgiving Eve a year ago, we were one made shot away from losing at home to a New Mexico State team that would win just 13 games. On Thanksgiving Eve this year we were, at one point, a made layup away from leading a top 15 Indiana team by 40 points.

There are 40 different sequences that I’ll be thinking about for the next 10-12 hours, but this was the one where it felt like you could hear the whole city exclaim:

Chucky Hepburn flirted with a points, assists, steals triple-double (16, 10 and 7). Noah Watterman was tremendous on both ends of the floor. Reyne Smith busted Indiana’s defense when the game was still tight in the first half. The list goes on and on and on.

I thought this was a gettable game for Louisville. I did not think this would be two hours of belt to ass.

This was Louisville’s first win over a ranked opponent since a win over Duke on Jan. 26, 2021. It’s also Louisville’s first win in a regular season tournament game since the Baha Bullies toppled Maryland on Nov. 27, 2022.

The best part? This likely sets up an even larger stage for the team tomorrow against (unless they’re stunned by West Virginia in an hour) No. 3 Gonzaga.

I have to get ready for the radio show (you should listen!), so I leave you with some of the best things floating around the internet at the moment.