Now that’s what you call a statement win right there. It feels like a century has passed since the last time a Louisville team came out and played that well against a ranked opponent. That’s by far the biggest win a Louisville team has seen in a long time. The Cardinals were on a 16-game losing streak against ranked opponents until this afternoon.

Pat Kelsey’s game planning and preparation for this game was excellent. The Cardinals controlled the game from the opening tip and once the second half came around, they took it up another level as the lead just grew bigger and bigger. Everything that I thought could be a potential weakness from Louisville in this game was turned into a strength, which is great sign for the man in charge. That’s a coach who made some big adjustments fast and executed them almost flawlessly.

Here’s a dive into what worked well for the Cardinals in their dominating victory:

The way Louisville improved their overall rebounding today was tremendous. It’s clear that Kelsey and his staff made it a focal point to box out completely and limit the Hoosiers on the boards. Indiana had the size advantage by a mile, but the Cardinals collectively managed to get their hands on a lot of rebounds and it led to more opportunities for them. Both teams had 29 rebounds, but Louisville actually had more until their starters came out of the game.

Peyton Siva will never suit up for Louisville again, but Chucky Hepburn can get as close one possibly can. I mean what a masterful game for the former Badger. Hepburn was the smallest player on the court, yet he controlled the entire game on both sides of the ball. His level of impact this afternoon went beyond the stat sheet, as he was literally everywhere. I believe he can be the go to guy for Louisville this season and his ability to play make and get downhill adds a new element to this five out offensive attack. Hepburn finished the game with 16 points, ten assists and seven steals, by far the best player on the court today.

The Cardinals completely erased Indiana’s talented backcourt and limited them to tough and contested shots at the rim. The entire perimeter was cut off for the Hoosiers as Louisville wouldn’t allow them operate out there. They were forced to play inside for the entire game and that’s exactly what Louisville wanted them to do. Pat Kelsey and his staff took out an entire aspect of their offense, which diminished it quite significantly. The adjustments on offense were on point as well. Louisville ran every set with urgency and didn’t shy away from the physicality like we saw previously. I absolutely loved the way they executed, especially in the second half. Each play was ran with a real purpose and it paid dividends for them.

Soak it in folks, it feels good being on the good side of things for once in a while. Couldn’t ask for a better performance, but I think Louisville can play better than that as they get healthier. This team can take it up another level and hopefully today was just them scratching the surface. If Kelsey can get Terrence Edwards Jr comfortable, it’ll be even harder to beat them because he doesn’t even looked settled in yet. Nonetheless, real Louisville basketball is back and it’s beautiful.

Great win for Louisville and a step in the right direction no doubt, but they can only celebrate for so long with a likely matchup against no. 3 ranked Gonzaga shall they beat West Virginia. They’ll play the winner of that matchup tomorrow with another tipoff at noon (ET).