Pat Kelsey, UofL basketball reel

On By Littum

Pat Kelsey has his first signature win as a Louisville basketball coach.

The Cardinals (4-1) blanked No. 15 on Wednesday afternoon Indiana (4-1), 89-61, in the first game of the Bad Bow Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis at Atlantis Paradise Island resort.

After moving to the winner’s bracket, U of L will face either No. 4 Gonzaga or West Virginia at noon on Thursday with a spot in the tournament championship on the line.

This was just Kelsey’s second win against a ranked opponent in 16 tries during his 12 years and stint as a Division I head coach — the first since Nov. 11, 2019, when Winthrop earned a 61-59 road victory over No. 18 Saint Mary’s.

Louisville improved to 10-12 all-time and ended a two-game losing streak against the Hoosiers with its lopsided win in a series dating back to 1921. The previous high was 22 points – 101-79 on Dec. 3, 1988 It got also snapped a 16-game losing streak against ranked opponents with its first win against one since Jan. 6, 2021. — 73-71 over No. 19 Virginia Tech at KFC Yum! Center.

Flipping the script from their first game against a major opponent, a 22-point loss to then-No. 12 Tennessee on Nov. 9, the Cards threw the opener in both halves.

Let’s start with the haymaker that was the last 20 minutes. Coming out of the locker room with a 37-29 advantage, U of L opened on an 11-2 run — and it was just warming up.

In the period, it shot 66.7% (22 for 33) from the field; including a 17-to-18 stretch from 7:08 p.m. to 9:46 a.m. Nine of those shots were either layups or dunks. It also forced 10 turnovers — eight of which were steals — and held IU to just 32 points.

On Tuesday, Chucky Hepburn called this “a little revenge game for me” after the Hoosiers won the final meeting of the 2023-24 season with his former team, Wisconsin. And he delivered: Noah Waterman tied for a team-high 16 points to go with 10 assists and seven steals.

Kasean Pryor, in his first start of the campaign, went for 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals while turning the ball over just once in 27 minutes.

Reyne Smith rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points.

This story will be updated.

Reach Louisville basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on the X at @brooksHolton.