Louisville-Butler Postgame Notes

Nov. 16, 2010

TEAM

The win gives the Cardinals their seventh straight in season openers dating back to a 70-69 setback to Iowa in the John Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis on Nov. 29, 2003. Louisville has now won 15 of its past 17 lidlifters and improves to 64-33 all-time in the season's first game, including 44-12 when that contest is a home one. Head coach Rick Pitino improves to 22-3 in openers over his four collegiate coaching stops, including 9-1 with U of L.

Louisville has now won 10 consecutive home openers since the 70-63 defeat at the hands of Georgetown (Univ.) on Dec. 5, 2000, the third-longest streak in school history behind the 13-game stretch from 1959-71 and the 11-year streak from 1947-57. The Cards are 75-22 all-time in home openers.

The victory gives the Cards five in their last six matchups with the Bulldogs, with the lone loss coming in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament (79-71). Each team now has five wins in the all-time series.

Louisville's win ends the nation's longest active road winning streak at nine games; Butler had not lost in an opponent's home venue since Dec. 22, 2009, at UAB (67-57). The Bulldogs' road winning percentage (.923) in 2009-10 was tops in Division I, with the Blazers handing Butler its lone loss (12-1).

The Cards opened the season against a member of the previous year's Final Four for the second time in school history and came away with their first win. The other occasion came in 1993, when Louisville dropped a 78-70 decision to #2 Kentucky after the Wildcats fell to Michigan 81-78 in the national semifinals of the 1993 NCAA Tournament (Michigan eventually vacated the entire 1992-93 season due to NCAA sanctions).

The Cardinals opened the season with a home game versus a ranked opponent for the first time in school history. Louisville faced a ranked foe to start the year for the first time since the aforementioned matchup with #2 Kentucky in 1993. Louisville's other ranked opponents in season openers have included #18 Michigan State (Dec. 5, 1992; W, 73-69), #10 Indiana (Dec. 1, 1990; L, 52-72), #4 Indiana (Nov. 24, 1984; W, 75-64), #2 Kentucky (Nov. 26, 1983; L, 44-65), #2 DePaul (Nov. 22, 1980; L, 80-86), and #19 Memphis (Nov. 29, 1975; W, 79-75).

With six threes in the contest, the Cardinals have now made at least five threes in 21 consecutive games, the eighth-longest active streak in the nation. The only teams with longer current streaks (after Tuesday night's games) are VMI (73), St. Mary's (40), Northern Colorado (32), Chattanooga (27), Weber State (25), Canisius (22), and Eastern Kentucky (22). Ole Miss had a 40-game streak entering the year but made just three treys in its opener against Arkansas State.

Louisville's 18-point halftime advantage (41-23) over Butler was its largest against a ranked opponent since Jan. 6, 2000, when the Cardinals led 40-18 at the break over #18 Utah en route to a 75-55 win.

The halftime deficit was the largest for Butler since March 11, 2003, when the Milwaukee Panthers led 38-20 at the midway point in a 69-52 win over the Bulldogs. It is unknown when Butler last faced a halftime spread of larger than 18 points, but it occurred before the 2001-02 season.

U of L notched 11 assists and just three turnovers in the opening stanza, compared to two assists and six turnovers for Butler. The Bulldogs shot just 23.3 percent (7-for-30) from the floor and 16.7 percent (2-for-12) from three-point range. Minus Shelvin Mack (who scored 17 of Butler's first-half points on 5-for-11 shooting), Butler was 2-for-19 (.105) from the floor and 0-for-6 from deep.

Butler's .350 (21-for-60) field goal percentage for the game was the lowest for a Cardinal opponent since Appalachian State shot 34.0 percent (18-for-53) on Nov. 23 of last season.

Louisville's 15-point victory was its largest over a ranked opponent since March 27, 2008, when the Cardinals downed #5 Tennessee 79-60 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Butler suffered its largest defeat since March 3, 2006, at Milwaukee (87-71) and allowed the most points since a 90-87 double-overtime loss to Wright State on Jan. 2, 2002.

KFC Yum! Center Firsts

Point: Mike Marra, three-point field goal (19:29 1st)
By a Cardinal: Same
Made two-pointer: Rakeem Buckles (18:35 1st)
By a Cardinal: Same
Made three-pointer:Mike Marra (19:29 1st)
By a Cardinal: Same
Made free throw: Rakeem Buckles (18:35 1st)
By a Cardinal: Same
Rebound: Mike Marra (18:58 1st)
By a Cardinal: Same
Assist: Peyton Siva on a Terrence Jennings jumper (18:03 1st)
By a Cardinal: Same
Turnover: Shawn Vanzant (19:08 1st)
By an opponent: Same
Block: Gorgui Dieng (12:55 1st)
By a Cardinal: Same
Steal: Peyton Siva (19:08 1st)
By a Cardinal: Same
Foul: Garrett Butcher (19:46 1st)
By an opponent: Same
Technical foul: Brad Stevens (12:44 1st)
By an opponent: Same
Substitution: Khyle Marshall for Garrett Butcher (17:53 1st)
By Cardinals: Preston Knowles for Mike Marra (17:06 1st)
Dunk: Terrence Jennings (3:51 1st)
By a Cardinal: Same
Three-point play: Rakeem Buckles (18:35 1st)
By a Cardinal: Same
Four-point play: Yet to occur
By a Cardinal: Yet to occur

PLAYER

Sophomore Rakeem Buckles missed his first shot of the 2010-11 season (he did follow by getting his own rebound and converting a three-point play), snapping his streak of 10 consecutive shots made, all of which came in last year's NCAA first-round game against California. The school record for consecutive field goals made is 19, set by Clifford Rozier over three games in 1993-94.

Buckles notched his second career double-double in the contest after finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds, the latter of which tied a career high. His other came at UNLV (10 points, 11 rebounds) on Nov. 28, 2009. Over the Cards' last two games (this year's opener and last season's finale), Buckles has recorded 37 points and 20 rebounds.

Buckles also set new career highs in three-pointers made (two), three-point tries (four), field goal attempts (12), free throw attempts (seven), and steals (three).

Sophomores Mike Marra and Peyton Siva each recorded their first career starts on Tuesday night. Marra responded by making the first basket (a three-pointer) and grabbing the first rebound in KFC Yum! Center history, while Siva notched the building's first steal and assist. The two combined for seven assists and no turnovers in the first half.

Marra set career highs in rebounds (five) and assists (five); his previous highs were four (against Stetson on Dec. 2, 2009, and at Syracuse on Feb. 14, 2010) and three (in the same game against Stetson), respectively.

Louisville's starting five (Marra, Siva, Kyle Kuric, Terrence Jennings, and Rakeem Buckles) had just 15 combined starts coming into the game (Jennings 10, Kuric three, and Buckles two).

Junior Terrence Jennings tied a career best with four blocks, now the sixth time he has accomplished the feat. It was Jennings' 29th career multi-block game and his 12th with at least three stuffs. Jennings now has a block in each of the Cardinals' last seven regular-season games (2.3 blocks per game over that stretch).

Jennings set career marks in field goals made (six, tied) and field goal attempts (11).

Senior Preston Knowles tied a career high in free throws made (five) and set a new career mark with six free throw attempts.

Sophomore Stephan Van Treese achieved a new career high with five points in the game, hitting both of his shots from the floor while also grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds.

Elisha Justice joins Samardo Samuels (2008-09), Edgar Sosa (2006-07) and Jerry Smith (2006-07) as U of L freshmen to score at least 12 points in their debuts over the last seven seasons. Justice's 14 free throw attempts are the most by any U of L freshman in his debut during that time.

The Cards had five players in double figures for the first time since Dec. 19, 2009, when Louisville had six players with 10+ points in a 102-75 win over Western Kentucky

Players Mentioned

Rakeem Buckles

Rakeem Buckles

Gorgui Dieng

Gorgui Dieng

Terrence Jennings

Terrence Jennings

Elisha Justice

Preston Knowles

Preston Knowles

Kyle Kuric

Mike Marra

Mike Marra

Samardo Samuels

Peyton Siva

Peyton Siva

Jerry Smith

Edgar Sosa

Stephan Treese

University of Louisville Athletics