LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Less than 23 seconds into the University of Louisville’s 72-59 victory over Wake Forest Tuesday night at the KFC Yum! Center, Wake guard Hunter Sallis believed the time had come to attack the basket.

Typically, Sallis can attack the basket with ease. He’s a McDonald’s all-American. He’s the fourth leading scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He’s likely to selected in the NBA Draft in June.

All that might be true. So is this:

Louisville put on another one of its three-point clinics against the Demon Deacons, but this game got one-sided quickly because the Cards defended like crazy.

Ask Sallis.

Terrence Edwards took the basketball from him on that first drive. Simply took it away. Edwards got the ball to teammate Chucky Hepburn. Hepburn did what he always does — found an open teammate (J’Vonne Hadley) for a layup.

"We're just clicking," U of L coach Pat Kelsey said. "You can feel it. We have a lot of momentum. We're really guarding ...

"... There's a movement going on with our team from a defensive perspective. It starts in the minds and hearts of each guy in a Louisville jersey. It just matters getting stops. It matters taking care of assignments. It matters picking up for a mistake of your teammate. 

"Defense is an attitude. And our guys have been playing with a little bit of a chip on their shoulders for the better part of the last month and a half."

The game was not over after the opening turnover. It was just one play. It was only beginning of the Cards’ thunderous roar toward their 10th consecutive victory, as they continued to make their case as the Best Story in College Basketball.

WDRB's Tyler Greever and Rick Bozich break down another win for the Cardinals

Get this: The Cards went eight-for-eight in January, beginning with that New Year's Day win over North Carolina. The last Louisville team to post a perfect January was coached to the overall No. 1 seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament by Rick Pitino.

"I knew they were good coming in," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. "And what I saw (on video) was true ... We have five turnovers before the first media timeout. We haven't really turned it over like that, so that's a credit to Pat (Kelsey) and his team."

The story was clear. Yes, the Cards made 11 of 36 shots from the three-point line. Reyne Smith made four shots from distance while scoring 16. Credit Edwards with four three-pointers as he scored a team-high 18. Hepburn stuffed the scorebook with 14 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

Kelsey’s team can squeeze the confidence out of opposing teams with its unrelenting defense, too. And on this night, Louisville’s overall dominance would lead to Wake’s best player leaving the game early with more frustration than points.

"We do a really good job of staying engaged and being elite in our preparation for every single opponent," Smith said.

Several numbers will confirm how thoroughly Louisville shook the visitors. There was not a moment in the first half when Wake had more field goals than turnovers. At halftime Wake had eight field goals, nine turnovers and 21 points. They shot less than 30% -- only 5 for 18 on 2-point attempts.

Wake, a team that won six of its previous seven games, trailed, 45-21. The Cards scored 15 points off the Wake turnovers. Wake scored zero points off Louisville’s three turnovers.

"We just try to give guys different looks," Edwards said. "You give guys different looks and it throws them off."

Things kept going sideways for Wake. Sallis was dispatched to the locker room, his evening over, with 14:47 remaining. He drove the ball to the right side of the lane, soared toward the rim and dunked the ball on Louisville defender Frank Anselem-Ibe.

It was a spectacular play, a move that confirmed Sallis is more than simply a three-point shooter. It was also a meaningless play because after the basket Wake trailed, 56-31.

Sallis lingered near the basket, inspired to celebrate. He looked toward Anselem-Ibe and patted the top of his head with his right hand.

That’s the playground sign that you’ve been dunked on. It’s also considered a taunt. Roger Ayers, a Final Four official, saw it, raised his right hand, blasted on his whistle and informed Sallis that his evening was over — because Wake’s best player had already earned a technical foul in the first half.

The Cards' next three games will be against opponents with a combined record of 4-23 in ACC games. That stretch begins with a trip to Atlanta Saturday to play Georgia Tech. The next home game is Feb. 8 against Miami, which has lost all nine of its conference games.

"I think they're going to finish strong in our league," Forbes said. "That would be my guess."

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