No. 11 Louisville lost its first game of the season to No. 17 Arkansas, 89-80 on Wednesday, but guard Ryan Conwell led five Cardinals in double figures with 21 points as Louisville turned the page to seal the 87-78 win over Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
“After a really tough loss the other day against Arkansas, we just kept preaching the response,” said Coach Pat Kelsey. “Two examples of very, very mature upperclassmen, professional guys (Conwell and J’Vonne Hadley) approached the last two days the right way, and with the rest of their teammates, we were able to bounce back and get a big win here tonight.”
Louisville flexed immediately in taking a 16-0 lead over the first 5:51 as guard Isaac McKneely made a pair of threes to finish the opening run. The Cardinals held Indiana to 0-of-8 from the floor with two turnovers in those first ten possessions.
“I take a lot of pride on the defensive end,” said Conwell, who led the Cardinals with 19.7 ppg. “It gives energy to the guys that they are setting that tone on the defensive end. It’s just the mentality. Setting the tone and being a leader on both ends of the floor.”
The maturity and discipline of the Cardinals highlighted a remarkable turnaround in 72 hours to regain Louisville’s dominant mindset. Kelsey also wanted a higher level of physicality and lauded Conwell’s defensive approach.
“His bite on the ball set the tone,” Kelsey explained.
Kelsey gave first-year Indiana coach Darian DeVries credit for setting up the Hoosiers with a new and functional identity.
“They force you to be on it on the defensive end,” Kelsey said of Indiana. “Their communication, their urgency. You can’t relax at any second. I thought for the most part our guys did that.”
The Cardinals adhered to the message, holding Indiana to 41 percent for the game. Anytime the Hoosiers seemed to get back to within striking distance, U of L could score on four consecutive possessions or score on four times on five or six trips, and push the advantage back into the mid-teens.
“After a really tough loss the other day, against Arkansas, we just kept preaching their response,” Kelsey noted.
The last four-possession string came when Hadley and Mikel Brown combined for eight points in 1:41 to give Louisville its biggest lead at 77-59 with 4:19 remaining.
In addition to Conwell’s game high of 21 points, McKneely and Hadley scored 15 each, and Sanandra Fru and Kobe Rodgers contributed 12 apiece.
“Kobi, in 12 minutes, was extremely efficient. I was disappointed in him the other day. I was disappointed in everybody, including myself. His job is to come in and raise the level of play, raise the intensity, be an elite defender from the minute you are out there – whether it’s two, whether it’s 12, whether it’s 15, whatever it is. He took that personally and gave us a big boost.” — Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey
Indiana shooting guard Tucker DeVries led all scorers with 26 points.