Kyle Kuric led the way with 17 points and six rebounds as No. 7 Louisville pulled away in the second half en route to a 69-53 victory at Butler on Saturday.

Chris Smith added 15 points and four boards for the Cardinals (3-0), who were without point guard Peyton Siva due to a sprained ankle and were playing their first game since guard Mike Marra tore his ACL and was lost for the season.

Shorthanded, Louisville went back-and-forth with the national runners-up, falling behind for the final time at 41-40 with 12:11 left.

Smith hit a jumper and drew a foul, completing the three-point play to put the Cardinals back on top and spark an 11-2 run. Smith added another three-point play with a layup and capped the run with a 3-pointer from beyond the arc.

The Bulldogs called a timeout and tried to regroup, but Kuric hit two 3-pointers and totaled 10 points in the final nine minutes to keep Louisville clear.

Butler (1-2) started off slowly last season before coming on late. The Bulldogs have so far struggled to replace the leadership of departed players Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack.

Khyle Marshall scored 20 points to lead Butler on Saturday.