Louisville 70, College of Charleston 48: Russ Smith scored 21 points and had five assists as the defending national champions held off a valiant effort by the visiting Cougars.

Junior college transfer Chris Jones had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists in his debut for Louisville (1-0). Montrezl Harrell added 10 points with eight boards and four steals, and Mongok Mathiang picked up a game-high 10 rebounds off the bench for the Cardinals, who have won 17 consecutive games dating to last season.

Canyon Barry had a team-high 10 points and Adjehi Baru added eight points with nine rebounds for College of Charleston (0-1), which never trailed by more than three points in the first half. The Cougars turned the ball over 21 times, however.

The Cardinals took a two-point lead into the break after Smith connected on a jumper with 45 seconds left in the first half. The Cougars held the lead three different times during the first half despite seven turnovers and outrebounded Louisville 23-18.

The Cardinals opened an 11-point lead when Jones sank his fifth basket of the game with 3:55 remaining in the second half. Wayne Blackshear hit a 3-pointer with 3:07 remaining to cap a 13-0 run and the Cougars were unable to recover.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Blackshear missed his first 11 shots for Louisville. ... Luke Hancock, who is recovering from an Achilles injury, did not play for the Cardinals. ... Barry, an underhanded free-throw shooter, missed four in a row for the Cougars.