No. 5 Tennessee will look to stay unbeaten when it takes on Louisville in the NIT Season Tip-Off on Wednesday afternoon.
The Vols have picked up where they left off last season in jumping out to a 3-0 start, with their wins coming against Lenoir Rhyne, Louisiana, and Georgia Tech.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals have yet to lose in the Chris Mack era, as they’ve knocked off Nicholls, Southern, and Vermont.
Let’s run through what to watch for in this intriguing matchup.
Game Details
- No. 5 Tennessee (3-0) vs. Louisville (3-0)
- Location: Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY
- Game Date: Nov. 21
- Game Time: 5 p.m. EST
- Watch: ESPN2
Players to Watch
Grant Williams (Tennessee)
The reigning SEC player of the year is showing why he could very well win the award for a second-straight season.
The 6-7 junior is averaging 22.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists through three games while shooting 64.7 percent from the floor.
Williams has also shown a new element in his game in being able to score from beyond the arc (4 of 7 on the season), so that makes him an even tougher matchup for opposing defenders.
Jordan Nwora (Louisville)
The 6-7 sophomore leads the team in scoring with 18.0 points per game while also adding 6.3 rebounds per contest.
Nwora has posted back-to-back 20-point games as he scored 22 points in 29 minutes against Vermont and 20 points in 18 minutes against Southern.
Louisville will continue to play through Nwora on the offensive side of the court, and he should continue to develop into a premier scorer for the Cardinals.
Key Stats
Tennessee currently ranks in the top 20 nationally in both adjusted offensive efficiency (18th) and adjusted defensive efficiency (9th), which speaks to this team’s disciplined approach in all facets.
But the Cardinals have had their own positives, especially on the offensive side of the court.
Louisville is fourth nationally in effective field-goal percentage (61.1 percent) and sixth in 2-point field-goal percentage (sixth), and those are good trends when you’re going up against a tough defensive squad like Tennessee.
What’s also worth noting is that Louisville has gotten 36.0 percent of its points from free throws thus far, which is the highest percentage in the country in terms of point distribution.
And if this game goes down to the wire, the Cardinals are shooting 78.0 percent from the charity stripe (29th nationally) while the Vols are at 68.0 precent (193rd nationally).
Game Outlook
- Spread: Tennessee -8.5
- Over/Under: 144.5
- KenPom Projection: Tennessee, 75 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Tennessee, 70 percent chance to win
There were some injury concerns with Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield, but it sounds like he’ll be ready to go for this one.
Another positive development for Rick Barnes is the likely return of Lamonte Turner (10.9 ppg in ’17-18), who hasn’t played this season due to a shoulder injury.
Tennessee's Lamonte Turner (shoulder) will play today against Louisville, per Rick Barnes.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 21, 2018
With the Vols now having pretty much their entire nucleus intact from last year’s SEC title team, they become much more difficult to match up against.
The Cardinals won’t back down from this challenge, as Mack is no stranger to preparing his teams for top-notch opponents.
However, the Vols are the more complete team, and they should hold off the upset-minded Cardinals.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 44-9
Game Prediction: Tennessee 74, Louisville 65
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.