By Harry Barsan

No. 11 Louisville throttled the SC State Bulldogs from start to finish to get an easy win on opening night.

From the jump

Isaac McKinleey got the party started with back-to-back threes to kick off an early lead.

J’Vonne Hadley had the same idea, sinking a long ball before converting on a fast-break layup to push the lead to 13-0 before SC State could even get a point.

The Cardinal defense held them without a bucket or really even a decent chance of a shot until the 10-minute mark. By that point every Cardinal starter had gotten a good piece of the action, putting the lead at nearly 30.

The ball was flowing on offense, as nearly every possession ended in at least a good shot if not a few points.

27 first half rebounds, including seven on offense, kept the Bulldogs silent.

As a Mikel Brown Jr. dunk gave the Cards points 50 and 51, the Bulldogs just reached a baker’s dozen. A much frustrated SC State squad couldn’t help but give the Cardinals 24 first half free throw tries, of which the Cardinals converted on nearly 80%.

At the half, McKeenely knocked down his fourth three to make it a 59-15 Louisville lead.

His 12 first-half points led the team, while Ryan Conwell and Brown notched nine apiece.

Off the gas (technically)

Out of the half, you could tell Pat Kelsey told his boys to slow down a bit and let off the gas.

Just kidding.

Ten unanswered points began the second half including a pair of buckets from Hadley.

By this point of course the game was long over, but it was at least nice to see the guys get some legitimate Division-1 competition.

Khani Rooths, another returnee from last season, had a nice second half, scoring a dozen in as many minutes.

That lead eventually reached an apex of 67 as Kelsey emptied in the bench.

At the buzzer, the Cards came out on top 104-45.

Hammer the over!

It’s important to note that Louisville was heavily favored to win this game.

It’s also important to note that Louisville blew the spread out of the water, looking about as complete as you could in a gimme game.

While both halves were blowouts in themselves, the first half was of course more appetizing. A team field goal percentage of 51.6% and three-point percentage of 42.1% is more than you could ask for.

Conversely, SC State was swamped by an active Louisville backcourt. As mentioned before, SC State didn’t make a three the whole half, only racking up three field goals total.

Interestingly enough, the starting lineup scored zero first half points.

Rooths and McKeenly looked like the stars of this team early. Rooths led the team with 20 total points, going 8-for-12 on the game.

McKeenly led the charge from deep, scoring five of the team’s 12 and collecting 17 total points.

Brown in his first game as Cardinal impressed the home crowd with 11 points and six assists.

The Cardinals won on turnovers, boards and just about every metric you could name, including of course points.

After starting the season 1-0, Louisville will be back in action Thursday against Jackson State.

Photo Courtesy / Mallory Peak / Louisville Athletics