LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – The Pat Kelsey era gave Louisville fans a lot to be thankful for early in the season, namely two wins in the Bahamas.

The Cards dominated No. 14 Indiana on Wednesday, opening the tournament with an 89-61 victory.

West Virginia pulled off an upset of its own that same day by defeating No. 3 Gonzaga 86-78, setting the stage for the two unranked teams to meet in the tournament semifinals.

Louisville was in control from the start against the Hoosiers, dominating their interstate rivals in nearly every statistic.

Noah Waterman and Chucky Hepburn led the Cards in scoring with 16 points each, and Hepburn also recorded a double-double with 10 assists. Kasean Pryor had 14 points and seven boards and Reyne Smith threw 12. J’Vonne Hadley also had eight points and eight rebounds in that effort.

Against West Virginia on Thanksgiving, the Cards trailed by four points at halftime, but put up 38 points in the second half to tie the game at 62 and force overtime. UofL scored 17 points in overtime and secured a place in the finals with a 79:70 win.

Hepburn again led all scorers with 32 points as five Cards scored in double figures in the win. Smith had 15, Pryor added 13 and eight boards and Terrence Edwards, Jr. had 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Cards will face Oklahoma, which defeated No. 24 Arizona on Thursday night, in the final. The game starts on Friday at 5:30 p.m

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