ield trio Murray Davidson (hamstring), Chris Millar and Simon Lappin (both calf) for the visit of the Hoops. Leigh

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Week-long breaks for final exams initially created different results between No. 11 Louisville and visiting Eastern Kentucky, which seemed much sharper from the layoff.The Cardinals shed their early rust to post the all-around effort they will need for a daunting quartet of ranked teams including an archrival.Donovan Mitchell scored 15 points, Quentin Snider added 13 and Louisville used a 20-0 run to close the first half and dominate Eastern Kentucky 87-56 on Saturday for its fifth straight victory.Seeking a good tuneup for next weeks rivalry game against No. 6 Kentucky, the Cardinals (10-1) shook off a sluggish start and 12-6 deficit to outscore EKU 30-4 the rest of the half and hold the Colonels scoreless for the final 7 minutes.Louisville never looked back en route to its 14th championship in 15 years in the Billy Minardi Classic, named for the brother-in-law of Cardinals coach Rick Pitino who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.We started out a little slow because we broke down on what we practiced, Pitino said. I think that gave the other team some momentum and confidence. But once we moved the basketball, once we stayed with our principles of what we wanted to do, we played much better.The Cardinals shot 48 percent from the field and owned the boards 47-31 in dominating the first game between the schools since 2004. They blocked a season-high 14 shots and had 19 assists, including a season-high six by Snider.We did a lot of good things, said Snider, who made 3 of 5 from behind the arc and 5 of 7 overall.Our bigs blocked shots. They really protected the rim real well and passed the ball real well. Thats how we got going.Mangok Mathiang matched a career best with 13 rebounds for Louisville, which follows Kentucky with matchups against No. 13 Virginia, No. 9 Indiana and No. 21 Notre Dame.Jaylen Johnson and Tony Hicks each had 10 points for the Cardinals.Nick Mayo had 15 points and Asante Gist 12 for the Colonels (6-6), who didnt reach 20 points until the 16:39 mark of the second half and shot 36 percent.THE BIG PICTUREEastern Kentucky: After their strong start the Colonels were soon overwhelmed by Louisville. They trailed by as many as 36 points with 8:34 remaining and needed a big second half just to finish at 36 percent. The high-scoring tandem of Mayo and Gist combined for 10-of-27 shooting and were held below their per-game scoring averages of 19.3 and 14.4 points, respectively.Were such a young team that Ive got to make sure it doesnt affect us, said coach Dan McHale, a former Louisville staffer and assistant. We probably wont watch a lot of the horrific stuff (from the video). ... Were just evolving right now.Louisville: Sniders eight straight points, including two 3s, helped snap the Cardinals out of their initial offensive funk. He has scored in double digits in consecutive games. Anas Mahmoud returned from a three-game absence (concussion) with six points, five blocks and four rebounds. Louisville has held four of its last five opponents to 36 percent shooting or lower.POLL IMPLICATIONSConsecutive blowouts could push Louisville into the Top 10 just in time to face in-state rival Kentucky.WELCOME BACKOne early block was all the 7-foot Mahmoud needed to feel normal again after sustaining the concussion against Purdue. In fact, he was comfortable enough to take five shots, hit three and try to establish a bigger presence inside.When you come back youre always thinking too much because youve been away, he said. After you get the first touch of the ball and the feeling running up and down the floor, you get comfortable. And the more comfortable I got, the better I played.UP NEXTEastern Kentucky: Continues its five-game road swing on Monday at Norfolk State.Louisville: Hosts No. 6 Kentucky on Wednesday night in the annual showdown for Bluegrass supremacy. The Cardinals have lost three straight in the series.---More AP College Basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.orgAtlanta Hawks Shirts . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. Stitched Hawks Jerseys . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. https://www.cheaphawks.com/ .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play. Atlanta Hawks Gear . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Custom Atlanta Hawks Jerseys . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods.Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths will make his final appearance of the season when the champions play St Johnstone, live on Sky Sports 3 HD from 7pm on Wednesday.Griffiths will hope to score his 40th goal of the campaign before serving a suspension following his recent yellow card in the 3-1 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle.Charlie Mulgrew is likely to miss the trip to McDiarmid Park after suffering a hamstring injury during Sundays 3-2 victory over Aberdeen. Efe Ambrose, who replaced Mulgrew against the Dons, is expected to start but Kris Commons could again miss out because of a knock. Efe Ambrose is standing by to deputise for Mulgrew Celtic captain Scott Brown is also recovering from a hamstring problem and will be rested until the start of next season.St Johnstone will be without midfield trio Murray Davidson (hamstring), Chris Millar and Simon Lappin (both calf) for the visit of the Hoops. Leigh Griffiths expects Aberdeen to be Celtics main rivals in the Scottish Premiership next season, despite Rangers joining them in the top division Right-back Darnell Fisher misses out against his parent club while long-term absentees Craig Thomson (broken collarbone) and Dave Mackay (hip) remain sidelined.ddddddddddddBut the Perth side have drafted 20-year-old Eoghan McCawl into the squad as cover for their final home match of the campaign.Saints have yet to pick up a point against Celtic this season, but a draw on Wednesday would secure a fourth place finish for Tommy Wrights team. Highlights from Sundays game between Celtic and Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership Watch St Johnstone v Celtic in the Scottish Premiership live on Sky Sports 3 HD from 7pm on Wednesday. ' ' '