No. 20 Tennessee Blows Out No. 11 Louisville to Snap Three-Game Skid
In one of the more intriguing ranked match-ups in college basketball this week, the 20th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers silenced the explosive offense of No. 11 Louisville in a decisive 83-62 victory.
Tennessee’s Offense Comes Alive in Win
During their three-game losing streak, the Volunteers struggled to find any offensive rhythm, scoring only 62 and 60 points in losses to Syracuse and No. 18 Illinois. That offensive resurgence was thanks in large part to senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who had himself a tremendous outing. The transfer from Maryland led the Volunteers in scoring with 23 points on 5-12 shooting from the floor.
The Volunteers also saw strong production from their bench in the game, outscoring Louisville 34-3 in that category. That impressive bench output was led in large part by junior forward Jaylen Carey, who finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Louisville Sees Sharp Decline on Offense without Mikel Brown Jr.
While Tennessee is always a tough out on their home-floor, the Cardinals were in for an even tougher battle without the services of highly touted freshman Mike Brown Jr. leading the show. The five-star recruit was ruled out shortly before tip-off due to a lower back injury.
The 62 points scored by Louisville represented the lowest that the Cardinals had scored in a game all season. The Cardinal also chose to live and die by the three against Tennessee, and unfortunately for them, that approach ultimately dug their grave in the loss. The Cardinal shot just 20% from behind the arc and 37% from the field overall, both season lows in the loss.
The only positive sight on offense for the Cardinals was the play of senior guard Ryan Conwell, who continues to showcase why he’s one of the top scorers in the ACC this season. The Indiana native scored 22 points to lead the Cardinals in scoring on the night. Conwell was also just one of two players to crack double figures scoring-wise for the game.
What’s Next for Both Teams in Non-Conference Play
With only a couple of games left in the non-conference slate for both Louisville and Tennessee, let’s look ahead at what each team will face to round out their respective schedules.
The Volunteers will have a chance to continue righting the ship against Gardner-Webb on Sunday, and then against South Carolina State on December 30th. The Volunteers will face both teams at home.
Final Thoughts
The Cardinals will seek redemption at home on Tuesday when they square off against Montana. That game will represent the final non-conference game for Louisville this season, as the Cardinals will then kick off their conference schedule against California on December 30th.
