Louisville shots the lights out from the three-point line and knocked out Arkansas Tuesday night in the Hall of Fame Shootout in St. Louis, Mo.
The Cardinals made 15 of 36 three's to defeat Arkansas 96-66, giving UofL head coach Rick Pitino his 750th career victory.
Louisville opened up a 48-31 at half time, but Arkansas, playing without starters Stefan Welsh and Courtney Fortson, cut the lead to three with a 14-0 run to begin the second frame.
But after Marshon Powell's layup cut the margin to 48-45 with 15:36 left in the game, Louisville went on a 23-8 run over the next six minutes to break the game wide-open.
Reginald Delk, who paced UofL with 20 points, started the run with a layup to put Louisville in the lead 50-45. Delk scored seven of Louisville's first ten points in the second half to help steady the Cardinals and build their lead back up.
UofL hit 15 three's and forced 17 turnovers in a 30-point rout over Arkansas in the Hall of Fame Showcase. (AP)
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Delk hit 4 of 5 three-points, while Jerry Smith made 4 of 10 from beyond the line. Preston Knowles made 3 of 5 three's and Edgar Sosa and Jared Swopshire combined to made 4 of 9 from beyond the arch.
Samardo Samuels complimented Louisville's outside shooting with 17 points inside on 6-12 shooting. Samuels, the Cardinals 6'9 sophomore, also grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots.
Swopshire had a game-high 11 boards and also added 10 points. He was a perfect 3 of 3 from the floor, including two three-pointers.
The Cardinals harassed Arkansas into 17 turnovers with relentless full court and man to man defensive pressure. Louisville held Rotnei Clark to 16 points after Arkansas' best guard scored 51 points, including 13 of 17 three-pointers in the Razorbacks season opener.
Rick Pitino used his three-guard lineup, starting Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith and Preston Knowles. Smith finished with 14 points, while Sosa added 12. Knowles chipped in 11 points and three rebounds.
Louisville broke open a 22-22 tie with a 26-9 run to end the first half and take a 48-31 advantage at the half. Jared Swopshire started the run with a three-pointer from out front. The Cardinals made five three-pointers in the last 6:20 of the opening period – two by Reginald Delk, two by Swopshire and one by Edgar Sosa.
Though Louisville made just 43 percent in the first half, the Cards shot 50 percent from three-point range – 9 of 18. The Cardinals handed out seven assists on their 16 first half field goals, three each by Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith.
Louisville returns home and will play three straight games starting with East Tennessee State on Saturday. The Cards play Morgan State Sunday and Appalachian State Monday night to wrap up the four-game Hall of Fame Showcase.