No. 4 Louisville 85, Florida International 56: Russ Smith made four 3-pointers en route to 18 points as the defending NCAA champions won their sixth straight game by easily defeating the host Golden Panthers.

Wayne Blackshear made three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points for the Cardinals (11-1), who were playing just their second road game of the season. Terry Rozier also made two shots from long range as Louisville finished 13-of-24 from behind the arc.

The Golden Panthers (8-5) were led by 13 points and nine rebounds from Rakeem Buckles, who transferred from Louisville following the 2011-12 season. Tymell Murphy scored 16 points for Florida International.

The Golden Panthers hung close for much of the first half and trailed 30-25 with less than three minutes remaining before the Cardinals scored the final nine points - including 3-pointers from Smith and Tim Henderson - and went into the locker room leading by 14. Smith had 12 points in the first half and hit a 3-pointer 40 seconds into the second stanza to restore Louisville's momentum.

Chane Behanan's layup with 5:16 to play gave the Cardinals their biggest lead up until that point at 73-45. Behanan finished with nine points off the bench as the Louisville reserves outscored their counterparts 30-5.

GAME NOTEBOOK: In his second game back from a minor wrist injury, Louisville G Chris Jones had five points, six assists and five steals off the bench. ... Louisville has a week to prepare for its road matchup with in-state rival Kentucky. ... Neither team shot well from the foul line, as the Cardinals were 20-of-32 while the Panthers were 15-of-22.