Tennessee basketball heads on the road to Louisville on Saturday afternoon for its first true challenge of the season.
With first-year coach Pat Kelsey at the helm, Louisville is one of the most improved teams in the country and is looking to make an early season statement against a top 15 Tennessee team.
Here’s everything to know about the Vols’ matchup at Louisville on Saturday afternoon.
More From RTI: What Tennessee AC Rod Clark Said Before Vols Face Louisville
How To Watch — No. 12 Tennessee (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at Louisville (1-0, 0-0 ACC)
- Start Time: noon ET/11 a.m. CT
- Location: KFC Yum! Center
- Stream ACC Network+. PxP: Kevin Fitzgerald. CC: Eric Devendorf
- Online Streaming: ACC Network+
- Radio (Knoxville): The Vol Network/The Vol Network App
Betting Lines
- Tennessee -1 Louisville
- Over/under: 154.5
- Tennessee -2 Louisville
- Over/under: 152.5
What Assistant Coach Rod Clark Said About Louisville
On how hard it is to prepare for a Louisville team with a completely new roster
“It’s different for sure. I think early in the year, because film is so much more limited than it is after you play six or seven games, it’s always tough. It’s not even the fact that it’s early in the season and game planning of less games, it’s a planning for a team that has a completely new roster, where you’re either having clips from one or two games that they play, or you’re pulling clips from the previous school that they played at. So we’ve had to do that these first three outings that we’ve had. But the the guys have done a great job. They’ve adjusted well. And it’s something that we’ve done a pretty decent job of trying to pick up on and get what we can from this scout.”
On what a Pat Kelsey-coached team is known for
“Play hard. They play really fast. They’re going to take their shots for sure. I think at Charleston he did a really good job of playing an up tempo style that was tough for his opponents. And he always played really well against the high-major teams. And obviously I think they beat a few of them as well. But I’ve known Coach Kelsey for a while now, and he’s always been a high energy guy. His teams resemble that. Obviously I think he shows that a lot on social media. So definitely respect him. We respect him. We think it’s going to be a great game for us. We’re happy we were able to get this home at home on the schedule, especially with a prestigious program like Louisville. So we’re looking forward to it.”
On facing Chucky Hepburn last season at Wisconsin and this season at Louisville
“Well, you respect what he’s done over his college career. You respect who he is as a player. Chucky has always been productive. I think 2 years ago when we were at Battle for Atlantis, Chucky was obviously at Wisconsin and they were in Battle for Atlantis. And we got to watch him there. And I remember talking about how good I thought he was and and how productive he was. And then, obviously, to play him last year, now to play him in a different jersey this year, regardless if he’s in a new system or not, we still know the player. And as a player, he’s a really good player. He’s seasoned. He’s a veteran.
He knows how to run the team. He knows how to get the ball where it’s supposed to be. He makes big shots. He’s a strong, sturdy guard. So we’ll definitely have our hands full with Chucky. He’s a good player.”
Probable Starters
G — Terrence Edwards Jr. (James Madison)
G — Chuckie Hepburn (Wisconsin)
G — J’Vonne Hadley (Colorado)
F — Aboubacar Traore (Long Beach State)
F — James Scott (College of Charleston)
Team Statistics (via Sports Reference)
Tennessee:
Louisville:
Stat Leaders
Tennessee:
Points: Chaz Lanier — 18 PPG, 58.3 FG%, 67 3PT%
Rebounds: Felix Okpara — 9 RPG, 5 DRPG, 4 ORPG
Assists: Zakai Zeigler — 9 APG, 4 TOPG, 33 MPG
Louisville:
Points: Kasean Pryor — 18 PPG, 50 FG%, 20 3PT%
Rebounds: Kasean Pryor — 12 RPG, 10 DRPG, 2 ORPG
Assists: Kasean Pryor — 4 APG, 2 TOPG, 20 MPG
Prediction:
It’s tough to get a feel for Louisville this early due to the fact that they have a completely new roster and a new head coach this season. After two abysmal seasons, Louisville is one of the most improved teams in the country this season.
It was just one game but the Cardinals obliterated Morehead State in their season opener. But compared to where they were last season, that’s a massive difference.
Tennessee is still feeling itself out with a lot of new pieces at this point in the season including a number of pieces that haven’t played consistently at this level. Going on the road in front of what should be a hungry and hostile crowd, I think the Vols drop this one.
Louisville 74, Tennessee 70
