The No. 11 Louisville Cardinals get back to work Tuesday night as they travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, to return the home-and-home favor against the No. 20 Tennessee Volunteers. Louisville basketball is coming off a massive home win against another Tennessee foe, the Memphis Tigers, this past Saturday afternoon. This game will be played in ESPN’s primetime slot Tuesday night, giving Louisville a chance to make one final statement in the non-conference portion of the schedule on a national stage.
The Volunteers have struggled recently, losing their last 3 games (all against quality opponents) heading into the game against the Cardinals. They will be desperate to get back to their winning ways, hoping to bolster their tournament resume with a win against the visiting Cardinals. The Cardinals will hope to walk away from the sure-to-be rowdy environment with a win and add another disappointing L to Tennessee's record. To do this, the Cardinals will have to ensure they take care of business across three aspects of the game.
Here are 3 keys to victory for the Louisville Cardinals against the Tennessee Volunteers.
3. Keep Tennessee’s 2 stars in check
Tennessee’s offensive production centers around two individuals on their roster, senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and a name that many Cardinal fans are all too familiar with, freshman forward Nate Ament. Gillespie has put up stellar numbers to his point in the season, averaging 17.3 points per game on 41.3 percent shooting. He has been the guy to set the tone on the offensive end, tending to take the most shots and therefore putting up the most points in many of their contests this season. It will be up to the Louisville backcourt to force Gillespie into taking bad shots and to ensure he does not get hot.
Nate Ament has also put up big numbers in the early part of the season. Ament has averaged 16.3 points per game on 37.4 percent shooting and has shown he can perform in big games, posting a 20-point performance in a disappointing loss to the Kansas Jayhawks. This is a perfect spot for Khani Rooths and Kasean Pryor to match up with Ament and limit his opportunities on the offensive end. Louisville has the talent and size to keep him in check, and they just need to have the same mindset and intensity the Cardinals have shown on defense over the last couple of games.
2. Strong rebounding, limit second chance opportunities
The Tennessee Volunteers are currently the 12th-ranked rebounding team in the country, averaging 43.3 rebounds per game. They also rank 3rd in the country in offensive rebounding, averaging 15.6 offensive rebounds per game. These offensive rebounds create additional scoring opportunities for the Volunteers and take away key possessions from the Louisville offense, allowing the Volunteers to capitalize in transition. It’s been a cornerstone of this Volunteer team to this point of the season, and an aspect of Louisville’s game that they have struggled with at times against teams with size and length.
Louisville will lean heavily on Sananda Fru as a significant post presence in the middle of the game to help combat the Volunteers' second-chance opportunities. Rooths and Pryor will also need to have big games on the rebounding end if Louisville wants to be able to put up the amount of points they will need to win this game. Look for the battle in the front court to define the game and determine which team comes away with the victory. It will be an excellent opportunity for the Cardinals against an opponent who will also be vying for a coveted Final Four appearance at season’s end.
1. Find (and take) quality shooting opportunities
Louisville’s strength all season needs to be once again the strength for this game against the Volunteers. Louisville will not have the length to dominate down low against Tennessee, nor will they want to with the shooters the Cardinals have at the helm. The offense will need to be incredibly efficient, finding opportunities against the Volunteer defense and taking the right shots. This was a struggle for Louisville in its last SEC matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks, who dominated the Cardinals with their elite perimeter defense.
If Louisville wants to have the ability to put their hat in the ring as a legitimate Final Four contender, they need to show that they can run their offense and score high point totals not just against inferior opponents, but also against teams that may not be the best matchup for the Cardinals. This will be a great test for the Louisville scoring threats, most notably Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely, and Adrian Wooley, to find their shots and knock them down at a high percentage. Freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. will also need to use his ability to get to the basket to open up these opportunities for the sharpshooters.