One take from Louisville basketball’s 99-73 win over Memphis
The Cardinals not only have 3-point shooting, they have the balance to keep opposing defenses from keying in on one or two players.
KNOXVILLE, TN — Louisville basketball’s lopsided loss to then-No. 12 Tennessee in Game 2 of the 2024-25 season was a foundational moment of Pat Kelsey’s first go-around.
Whether the butt-kicking was needed, the No. 11 Cardinals (9-1) have a chance to redeem it with a statement win today: the final game of a home-and-home series with the No. 23 Volunteers (7-3) inside Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
UofL is coming off one of its most impressive performances of the season, a 99-73 throttling of rival Memphis over the weekend at the KFC Yum! Center. Kelsey’s team shot 51.4% from 3, a new high for the campaign, and got 44 points off the bench.
The Volunteers enter this matchup on a three-game losing streak (to Kansas, Syracuse and Illinois) but haven’t played since falling to the Fighting Illini on Dec. 6. Rick Barnes’ team ranked 18th on KenPom.com, with the country’s No. 1 offensive rebounding rate and the 13th-best defensive, as of Monday.
“Hall of Fame coach, No. 1 rebounding team in the country, big-time environment. It’s a great opportunity for our team,” Kelsey said after taking care of business against the Tigers. “We’ve got to have two great days of preparation, then be ready to go into that lion’s den.”
Follow along with live updates from Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center below:
The game between Louisville and Tennessee will air on ESPN, which is channel 602 on AT&T U-Verse; channel 206 on DirecTV; channel 140 on Dish; and channel 506 on Spectrum. Karl Ravech (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) will be on the call.
If you subscribe to a cable package, you’ll be able to livestream the game via ESPN.com and the ESPN app. If you don’t have cable, you can livestream the game via ESPN+ (subscriber only) or Fubo, which offers a free trial here.
Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) will have the call on the Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9-FM and WGTK 970-AM in Louisville).
You can also listen online via GoCards.com.
Betting odds: Louisville is a 2 ½-point underdog (-112) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 157 ½ points (-110). The money line odds are Tennessee -135, Louisville +114.
Score predictions: KenPom gives the Cards a 49% chance of winning and projects an 80-79 final score in Tennessee’s favor. BartTorvik.com is also forecasting a Vols victory (57%), with a projected final score of 80-79.
Follow the instructions below to submit:
Questions can also be submitted via email (bholton@gannett.com) and X, formerly Twitter, to @brooksHolton.
- Friday, Oct. 24: vs. Kansas (exhibition) | SCORE: Kansas 90, Louisville 82
- Tuesday, Oct. 28: vs. Bucknell (exhibition) | SCORE: Louisville 99, Bucknell 76
- Monday, Nov. 3: vs. South Carolina State | SCORE: Louisville 104, South Carolina State 45
- Thursday, Nov. 6: vs. Jackson State | SCORE: Louisville 106, Jackson State 70
- Tuesday, Nov. 11: vs. Kentucky | SCORE: Louisville 96, Kentucky 88
- Saturday, Nov. 15: vs. Ohio | SCORE: Louisville 106, Ohio 81
- Friday, Nov. 21: vs. Cincinnati | SCORE: Louisville 74, Cincinnati 64
- Monday, Nov. 24: vs. Eastern Michigan | SCORE: Louisville 87, Eastern Michigan 46
- Wednesday, Nov. 26: vs. NJIT | SCORE: Louisville 104, NJIT 47
- Wednesday, Dec. 3: at Arkansas (ACC/SEC Challenge) | SCORE: Arkansas 89, Louisville 80
- Saturday, Dec. 6: vs. Indiana (at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis) | SCORE: Louisville 87, Indiana 78
- Saturday, Dec. 13: vs. Memphis | SCORE: Louisville 99, Memphis 73
- Tuesday, Dec. 16: at Tennessee, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Saturday, Dec. 20: vs. Montana, noon, ACC Network
- Tuesday, Dec. 30: at California, 9 p.m., ACC Network
- Friday, Jan. 2: at Stanford, 8 p.m., ACC Network
- Tuesday, Jan. 6: vs. Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Saturday, Jan. 10: vs. Boston College, noon, The CW
- Tuesday, Jan. 13: vs. Virginia, 7 p.m., either ESPN or ESPN2
- Saturday, Jan. 17: at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m., either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
- Saturday, Jan. 24: vs. Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m., The CW
- Monday, Jan. 26: at Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Saturday, Jan. 31: vs. SMU, 7 p.m., either ESPN or ESPN2
- Wednesday, Feb. 4: vs. Notre Dame, 7 p.m., either ESPN2 or ESPNU
- Saturday, Feb. 7: at Wake Forest, noon, ACC Network
- Monday, Feb. 9: vs. N.C. State, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Saturday, Feb. 14: vs. Baylor (at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas), 4 p.m., ESPN
- Tuesday, Feb. 17: at SMU, 7 p.m., either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
- Saturday, Feb. 21: vs. Georgia Tech, 2:15 p.m., The CW
- Monday, Feb. 23: at North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Saturday, Feb. 28: at Clemson, TBA, either ESPN or ESPN2
- Tuesday, March 3: vs. Syracuse, 9 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, March 7: at Miami, 2 p.m., either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
- Tuesday, March 10, through Saturday, March 14: ACC Tournament (Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Mikel Brown Jr. (guard, freshman)
- Mouhamed Camara (forward, freshman)
- Ryan Conwell (guard, senior)
- Sananda Fru (forward/center, junior)
- J’Vonne Hadley (guard, sixth year)
- Will Hanke (guard, freshman)
- Aly Khalifa (center, redshirt senior)
- Spencer Legg (guard, senior)
- Isaac McKneely (guard, senior)
- Kasean Pryor (forward, sixth year)
- Kobe Rodgers (guard, redshirt senior)
- Khani Rooths (forward, sophomore)
- Cole Sherman (guard, senior)
- Adrian Wooley (guard, sophomore)
- Vangelis Zougris (forward/center, junior)
Click here to view the Vols’ complete schedule.
Click here to view the Vols’ complete roster.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
