By Sam Draut–

Louisville cruised to a 86-45 win over Samford in the season opener Friday against Samford.

Starting Five: Head coach Rick Pitino started Trey Lewis, Damion Lee, Deng Adel, Jaylen Johnson and Chinanu Onuaku. The starting five is the lengthiest group in recent memory with 6-foot-2, 6-foot-6, 6-foot-7, 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-10 across the board. Throughout the game, Louisville’s length disrupted Samford offensively, the Cardinals finished with nine blocks. When Louisville would breakout into a full court press, its length was on full display. Johnson or 7-foot Anas Mahmoud would defend the in-bound passer, making it difficult to get the possession going.

Hot start: In the first four and half minutes, Chinanu Onuaku had seven points, two blocks and three rebounds. The sophomore center finished with 11 points, five rebounds and five blocks.

Freshman Standout: Pitino hinted a few weeks ago that Donovan Mitchell appeared a little nervous in Louisville’s season opening exhibition against Bellarmine. If any nerves existed against Samford, the freshman didn’t show it. The 6-foot-3 guard checked into the game and knocked down a corner 3-pointer on his way to 14 points.

Defense: The combination of a poor shooting night for Samford and a strong defensive effort for Louisville resulted in a rough offensive night for the Bulldogs. Samford was 13 of 62 from the field (21 percent) and had 19 turnovers. Louisville’s length and athleticism handled the smaller Samford lineup, totaling nine steals and nine blocks.

5th year transfers: Playing in their first career games for Louisville, fifth-year graduate transfers Damion Lee and Trey Lewis shared a tale of two halves. Lee picked up two fouls in the first few minutes and only played three minutes in the first half. Lee reappeared in the second half and scored 14 points and five rebounds. Trey Lewis scored seven points in the first half and added four assists, but only played for a few minutes in the second half. He finished with seven points and six assists.

Spark Plug: Earning his first career start, Jaylen Johnson had eight points and five rebounds on four of six shooting from the field. Pitino praised Johnson’s effort and energy through the first few weeks of practice. He showed it on the floor tonight.

6th man: Quentin Snider was the first Cardinal off the bench and scored 12 points and dished out four assists.

Fouls: With the NCAA adding emphasis on freedom of movement, moving screens and monitoring of physicality in the post, Louisville and Samford quickly realized what referees would be looking at this season. The teams combined for 30 personal fouls in the first half.

What’s next: Louisville plays Hartford on Tuesday at the KFC YUM! Center.