Reyne Smith and Terrence Edwards each scored 21 points as Louisville led wire to wire in a 91-66 victory over North Carolina State on Wednesday in Raleigh, N.C.
Edwards shot 8 of 12 from the floor and dished out five assists, while Smith made 5 of 9 3-point attempts.
J’Vonne Hadley added 17 points and nine rebounds the Cardinals (19-6, 12-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) earned their third straight victory and their 13th in the past 14 games. Chucky Hepburn chipped in 15 points and six assists.
The 25-point margin of defeat was the worst this season for NC State (9-15, 2-11), which dropped its ninth straight game.
Trey Parker had 13 points off the bench for the Wolfpack, while Paul McNeil and Breon Pass each scored 12 apiece. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had a team-high 10 rebounds and a team-high four assists to go along with four points.
NC State, which made the Final Four a season ago, is now in a last-place tie in the ACC standings. That puts the Wolfpack in danger of missing the ACC tournament, which they won last season.
Louisville jumped out to a 28-11 lead just past the midpoint of the first half, a stretch that saw Edwards score 10 points. The Cardinals used a 13-4 run in the second frame to take their largest lead of the game, 28 points, a scoring surge that was capped off by a 3-pointer from Smith.
The Cardinals shot a season-best 63.6 percent from the floor and a season-best 57.9 percent (11 of 19) from 3-point range. The 11 treys tied the most NC State has given up to an opponent this season.
Louisville also outscored NC State 46-16 in the paint and 21-10 on the fastbreak.
The Cardinals have 12 ACC wins in Pat Kelsey’s first season at the helm are the most they’ve had in a single season since the 2019-20 campaign when they finished with 15. The NCAA Tournament was canceled that season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Louisville finished the year ranked 14th in the final AP poll.