That’s more like it.
Tennessee got exactly what the doctor ordered on Tuesday night, thumping No. 11 Louisville by 20 points. Ja’Kobi Gillespie led the way with 23 points, converting 10-of-10 attempts from the line. The Volunteers cut down on the turnovers — a major point of emphasis in the break for the coaching staff — totaling only 11 against the Cardinals.
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Tennessee won the rebounding battle 35-30 and shot ten more free throws than Louisville. In all, it looked like the Tennessee basketball program we’re used to seeing.
“We had a tough stretch there,” Rick Barnes said after the win. “That last 10 days of practice, they’ve worked hard. Learned a lot the last 10 days. You learn a lot from those three losses in terms of how you can do a lot to help your opponent if you’re not the sharp as you need to be on both ends. But I really felt we were locked in maybe as well defensively as we’ve been all year against a (good) team.”
Tennessee forced Louisville into 16 turnovers and came away with five blocks. The Cardinals couldn’t get anything going offensively — albeit playing without star guard Mikel Brown Jr. — shooting just 7-34 from three-point range. Sharpshooter Isaac McKneely was blanketed all night, scoring just five points on 2-10 shooting.
The Volunteers couldn’t get a stop when it mattered against Illinois in Nashville. They couldn’t make shots down the stretch in any of their three losses either. That all changed on Tuesday and Barnes expects more growth as the season goes, noting how young Tennessee is currently playing.
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“We had a game like that against Houston obviously, where we were on point,” Barnes said. “We had some other games, but it’s still a group of younger guys. We’ve got so many young guys that are learning what this is about, there’s no doubt. And I didn’t think at any point in time getting ready for this season we would have two freshmen starting lineup, the ones we have coming off the bench. But I’ve told you guys all along we’re really excited about our younger players, the freshman class.”
Obviously returning home played a factor, too. All three of Tennessee’s losses came away from home, two as neutral site matchups and one true road game. The Vols will now stay home until the new year, where a roadtrip to Arkansas to open SEC play begins.
Tennessee now sits 15th overall, per KenPom. They are ranked 12th in defensive efficiency and 32nd in offensive efficiency. Following that three-game skid, Tennessee dropped out of the top 16 overall seeds in Joe Lunardi’s early projections. The Volunteers were a projected No. 6 seed heading into the night, and a win against Louisville by 20 will certainly help.
Barnes and his staff will continue to work over these next two weeks to get this team where they want them. Remember, there will be absolutely no nights off in the SEC this year either. Tennessee opens with road trips to Arkansas, Florida, Alabama and Georgia in January alone.
This team will have to grow up quickly, and perhaps Tuesday was the first step towards doing that.
