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Louisville opens new digs with win over Butler

Nov 17, 2010 - 5:16 AM Louisville, KY (Sports Network) - Rakeem Buckles scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, as Louisville opened its season with an 88-73 victory over 16th-ranked Butler.

This was the first regular-season game at the KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals had played at Freedom Hall since 1956.

Terrence Jennings totaled 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for Louisville (1-0), which went 20-13 last season and lost to California in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

"This team has terrific potential," Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said about his squad. "I think their attitude is tremendous, I think they work extremely hard."

Shelvin Mack tied a career-high with 25 points for the Bulldogs (1-1), while Matt Howard scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half.

Butler topped Marian on Saturday in its season-opener. The Bulldogs were riding a nine-game road winning streak, the longest active streak in the country.

"I think we got a lot of room to get better," said Butler head coach Brad Stevens. "We got to learn what we didn't do well and move forward. But I think we have a lot of room for improvement. I've got to do a better job preparing us obviously."

Louisville, which never trailed, opened the game on an 8-0 surge and built a 41-23 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs trailed 50-26 early in the second half before closing the gap to 68-57 on a Howard basket with a little over three minutes remaining. Buckles countered with a three-pointer and Louisville sealed the win from the charity stripe.

Game Notes

Preston Knowles and Mike Marra scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Cardinals...Butler made just 23.3 percent of its shots in the first half...Howard was 11-of-17 from the free throw line and grabbed nine rebounds...Butler made its first visit to Louisville since 1972...The Cardinals posted a 682-141 record in 54 seasons at Freedom Hall.