LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — There will be no reservations. At least not for at least 300 words. If you’re a Louisville basketball fan, enjoy this 89-61 demolition of No. 14 Indiana in the Battle 4 Atlantis without any critical analysis interruption.

You can hear ESPN’s Jay Williams say at halftime, “It’s good to have Louisville basketball back.”

After what this fan base has been through. The FBI on campus. The painful fall of Rick Pitino (and Tom Jurich). That loss to Virginia when Deng Adel stepped onto the baseline. The frustration of the Chris Mack era and its bizarre end. Two and a half seasons in the wilderness. The losses to Bellarmine and Wright State and App State. The embarrassing losses on Maui. The two-year span of 12 wins.

When freshman Khani Rooths burst across the court midway through the second half on Wednesday and pushed Louisville’s lead to 30 points on a fast-break lob, Thanksgiving came early. A few more easy baskets later, Louisville had made 17 of its final 18 field goal attempts and was ahead by 34.

This may have been an extreme catharsis if you’re a Cardinal fan. Or Card-Tharsis or something.

There was no way Mike Woodson was going to trick his way out of this. After this kind of undress, he may have to get pretty tricky to keep his job.

Play ball for Chucky Hepburn. He got Louisville off to a good start. In the absence of backup point Koren Johnson, he has increased his offensive game. A little more focused on scoring than making defensive adjustments. He finished the game with 16 points, 10 assists and seven steals. He went 7 of 10 from the field and held Indiana point guard Myles Rice to 1 of 11 shooting and just three points. He became the first Louisville player since Peyton Siva in 2011 to record a double-double with at least seven steals.

And deliver a game ball to Pat Kelsey. Louisville won this game with execution, game planning and experience. Not to mention, he matched his predecessor’s first-year win total before Thanksgiving. It was his second career win against a ranked opponent.

Indiana was deflated. At some point early in the second half it lost its will. Nothing came from the guard.

There will be no mercy from Louisville or its fans. They have been observing this kind of helplessness for more than two years. The walk-ons at the end of games.

Was it 300 words? Barely.

Indiana was uninspired. It looked sluggish. It played poorly, and Woodson was better planned and more productive on the other sideline. And this wasn’t just any opponent. It was a team from Indiana that was ranked 15th nationally.

It was Louisville’s first win over a nationally ranked opponent since January 6, 2021.

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of this win for Louisville, with games against (possibly) Gonzaga, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Duke over the next three weeks.

The energy and physicality Louisville showed on Wednesday was at a level they had never reached in a 22-point home loss to Tennessee. It’s guaranteed to face more resistance from the other good teams on its short-term schedule.

But it showed some important elements in this. It showcased impressive defensive tackle against a good — if not multi-dimensional — Indiana offense.

After being bullied all season, Louisville beat Indiana 48-20.

Louisville did it with balance. He did this with early three-point shooting. It outscored Indiana 27-8 in turnovers.

I don’t know if this was a new beginning or an anomaly at the start of the season. Who knows if this reveals real promise in Louisville or serious flaws in Indiana, or both?

All I know is that Louisville fans should enjoy this win, this day and this feeling. They deserve that.

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