LOUISVILLE — The plasma television screen in the Louisville locker room at Freedom Hall flickered with images from the NCAA Tournament, but Terrence Williams couldn’t bear to watch.

The freshman forward didn’t come to Louisville to watch March Madness on TV. So while the rest of the Cardinals sneaked a peek following Louisville’s 71-54 win over Delaware State in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament on Friday night, Williams brushed his hair, did a couple of postgame interviews and walked out.

Better to stay focused on the task at hand, namely, taking the steps toward making sure the Cardinals aren’t on the outside of the tournament looking in next year.

“I don’t really like watching (the NCAA Tournament) and not playing in it,” Williams said. “It hurts to watch, but it’s going to prepare you for the future.”

The Cardinals (19-12) hope they took their fist step toward next year’s tournament by easing by the road-weary Hornets (21-14). Taquan Dean scored 21 points to lead five Louisville players in double figures as the Cardinals never let the Hornets entertain thoughts of an upset.

Louisville dominated from the opening tip and played with the kind of effort head coach Rick Pitino was hoping to see when the Cardinals accepted the bid to play in the NIT a year after making it to the Final four.

“We were ready emotionally, we were ready physically and we had great respect for Delaware State and that’s why we played so well,” Pitino said.

It hasn’t always been pretty — for Williams or the Cardinals — but when he looks for his teammates as he did against the Hornets, Pitino thinks Williams could be the key to a deep NIT run.

“T-Will did a very good job of passing the basketball,” Pitino said. “I think he’s going to do a lot down the road what (former Cardinal) Francisco Garcia does. That’s the best part about his game is his passing.”

Finding a way to mix his vision and his aggressiveness is the next step in Williams’ evolution.

“I love the ball being in my hand,” Williams said. “In high school ... I ran the point so it was kind of like going back to my old days.”

The Cardinals never trailed and became just the third team to score more than 70 points against the Hornets this season. Delaware State came in allowing just 57 points per game.

But Louisville opened by scoring the game’s first 12 points then stayed patient defensively as the Hornets ran through their deliberate, methodical offense. Delaware State often ran 25-30 seconds off the shot clock.

But rather than get impatient and try to force the tempo, the Cardinals simply beat the Hornets at their own game.

“The one thing I learned about well-coached teams like this that control the ball is, don’t worry about it, their style of play is going to win out,” Pitino said. “Just be fundamentally sound and don’t get anxious and foul.”