No. 25 Louisville overwhelms SMU 98-73 in first game in 4 years as a ranked team

DALLAS (AP) — Reyne Smith scored 30 points while matching his career high with a school-record 10 3-pointers and No. 25 Louisville won its first game as a ranked team in four years, beating Atlantic Coast Conference newcomer SMU 98-73 on Tuesday night.

Chucky Hepburn had 13 points and a career-high 16 assists, another program record, as the Cardinals (15-5, 8-1 ACC) won their ninth game in a row. J’Vonne Hadley and James Scott each added 16 points.

With first-year coach Pat Kelsey and a roster filled with transfers and one freshman — the only returning player was a fifth-year walk-on — Louisville this week broke into the AP Top 25 for first time since January 2021.

Matt Cross had 18 points to lead SMU (14-5, 5-3), which had its three-game winning streak snapped. B.J. Edwards scored 16.

Hepburn, a senior transfer from Wisconsin, opened the game with a 3 as the Cardinals never trailed and built a 32-point lead.

No. 25 Louisville overwhelms SMU 98-73 in first game in 4 years as a ranked team | iNFOnews.ca — Louisville guard Chucky Hepburn (24) shoots during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against SMU Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Takeaways

Louisville: The Cardinals have their longest winning streak since winning 10 in a row in early 2020.

SMU: The Mustangs were coming off a 117-74 win at Miami, but are 0-2 at home against ranked ACC teams in coach Andy Enfield’s first season. They lost 89-62 to Duke, which is up to No. 2.

Key moment

James Scott converted three alley-oop dunks on passes from Hepburn in a 12-2 run for a 29-10 lead. The first two came in a span of 30 seconds.

Key stat

SMU missed 13 of its first 15 shots and trailed by 11 midway through the first half. The Mustangs entered as the ACC leader in shooting at 48.6% from the field.

Up next

Louisville has a week between games before hosting Wake Forest next Tuesday. SMU plays Saturday at N.C. State.