No. 24 Louisville Downs No. 20 UNLV, 77-69, To Remain Undefeated

On Saturday at the Yum! Center, No. 24 Louisville kept on rolling with a 77-69 win over No. 20 UNLV. The Cardinals, who improve to 8-0, handed the Rebels their first loss of the season.

Louisville trailed at the half, 38-33, and at the time they were only shooting 32.4 percent from the field. They rallied thanks in large part to guard Preston Knowles, who racked up 20 points. The Cardinals also received plenty of help from their bench, as Chris Smith and Kyle Kuric each chipped in with 17 points.

UNLV’s Tre’Von Willis contributed 17 points in a losing effort. Anthony Marshall grabbed 11 rebounds, and Oscar Bellfield scored 16 points, including four three-pointers.

At a perfect 8-0, this is the best start for Louisville in the Rick Pitino era, which began in the 2001-02 season. For more on this team, check in with our Louisville blog, Card Chronicle.

At the Yum! Center, both No. 20 UNLV and No. 24 Louisville entered Saturday’s game undefeated. As the game enters halftime, as expected, we’re seeing a high-scoring, competitive contest.

UNLV’s Oscar Bellfield has led his team to a 38-33 halftime lead. The Rebel forward has 11 points, having shot 3-for-4 from beyong the arc and grabbed five rebounds. Seven different Rebels have scored so far, and the team is shooting 50 percent from the field, including 58 percent from three-point range.

Louisville, meanwhile, has seen a good number of open shots, but they’ve failed to fully capitalize, as they’re shooting 32.4 percent. Guard Mike Marra is a dreadful 0-for-8. The bright spots for the Cardinals thus far are Chris Smith, who has 13 points, and Peyton Siva, who has contributed seven points and five assists.

In the second half, UNLV will hope to deliver Louisville its first-ever loss at the new Yum! Center. Be sure to check in with our Louisville blog, Card Chronicle, during and after the game.

One of only two games on the day involving a pair of nationally- ranked programs, the 24th-ranked Louisville Cardinals get another chance to show off their new digs at the KFC Yum! Center as they host the 20th-ranked UNLV Runnin’ Rebels as part of the Billy Minardi Classic this afternoon.

Not only are both programs ranked in the AP’s Top-25 this week, the squads are also undefeated, with UNLV having rattled off nine straight victories to kick off the 2010-11 campaign. The most recent triumph for the Rebels took place on Wednesday night with the team slipping by Boise State at home by a narrow 75-72 score.