The Louisville basketball team has fallen to its second SEC loss in the non-conference schedule, as they lost on the road to the Tennessee Volunteers in blowout fashion 83-62 in a game where Tennessee dominated from beginning to end. The Volunteers set the tone early, using their size and physicality to dominate the Cardinals in the front court on offense and at all positions on defense. The Volunteers maintained their aggressor role throughout the game, with no meaningful response from the Cardinals, especially in the 2nd half.
This loss by no means diminishes the potential of this team or their aspirations to reach the Final Four and play for a national championship. However, it does raise some questions of whether Louisville’s lack of size and physical strength down low will prohibit them from being able to achieve this dream.
Tennessee had many advantages worth noting. They were, for starters, playing at home in front of their fans, which is always a huge advantage in college basketball. They also were coming off 10 days of rest since their last game, compared to Louisville’s 2 days of rest after facing the Memphis Tigers Saturday afternoon. Additionally, Louisville learned shortly before tip-off that it would be without its star freshman point guard, Mikel Brown Jr., a blow the Cardinals could not overcome. Although these are all facts, none of them justify Louisville losing by a whopping 21 points in this game.
Here are five absolutely crushing takeaways from Louisville's disappointing loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.