The elbows are coming.
So are the shoves, bumps, hip checks and every other measure, within the rules of course, that Tennessee can use to slow down Louisville basketball on offense. The Volunteers will do everything they can to impede the freedom of movement that allowed the Cardinals to shoot 51% from 3-point range in their 99-73 win over Memphis on Saturday.
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Here is where UofL can send a message that resonates the rest of the season. If the Cards don’t allow themselves to be bullied by Tennessee, they can stomp out the idea that the way to beat them is to play physical.
Arkansas proved successful in the Cards’ only loss this season at being the more physical team, a fact that UofL coach Pat Kelsey deemed “unacceptable” after the game.
Indiana tried to follow that blueprint during its 87-78 loss to Louisville. The Hoosiers failed after falling behind big early, although they successfully got Mikel Brown Jr. out of sorts offensively.
No team is better at playing physically than a Rick Barnes-coached team.
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It’s been his modus operandi going back to when he developed that playing style during his days coaching at Providence. He perfected it while at Clemson. And has implemented it for so many years at Texas and now Tennessee, to the extent that the style is simply his brand.
Barnes wants to take possessions away, slow the tempo and keep UofL at a pace where it has to set up and play in half-court situations. He wants to force the Cards to execute and be sharp every time they’re on offense.
Because how can there not be some slippage when Tennessee is trying to make every possession as grueling as an Ironman Triathlon.
The Vols want to play a game in which the final tally is in the 70s. If they can keep it in the 60s, that’s even better. UofL has scored more than 50 points in the first half in six of its 10 games. Cincinnati is the only team to keep them from reaching 80 points in the Cards’ 74-64 win.
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Perhaps the worst thing that happened for Louisville entering Tuesday night’s game was making 18 3s against Memphis on Saturday. The Cards can’t settle for just hunting shots behind the arc.
They won’t get as many open looks, for starters, against a Tennessee defense that is holding its opponents to 29.7% shooting from 3-point range this season.
The way UofL can fight back against a bully is to stay aggressive.
The Cards had only three players get to the free-throw line against Arkansas for a combined 18 attempts. That number doubled to six players against IU as they totaled 28 free-throw attempts.
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It will take that kind of effort in only their second trip of the season to come back with a win. That’s how the Cards did it in their win at Cincinnati.
The Bearcats played like Tennessee-lite, trying to slow down the pace and out-tough UofL. The difference is the Vols have far more talent than Cincinnati.
Forward Nate Ament, who is second for the Vols in scoring at 16.3 points and first with 7.1 rebounds per game, is among the stellar freshman class nationally and projects as an NBA lottery pick.
Tennessee won’t make the game against UofL a battle of toughness because it’s the only play to victory. The Vols will do it because they like to muddy up games and make their opponents uncomfortable.
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The only way for Louisville to come out clean is to take the fight back at them.
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com, follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball game at Tennessee can help Cards send message
