A big early road test.
Tennessee basketball hits the road for the first time on Saturday afternoon, set for a date with the Louisville Cardinals. The Volunteers won their opener against Gardner-Webb on Monday, 80-64.
Louisville is entering a new era after and handful of rough seasons. Pat Kelsey takes over at the helm with a completely new roster. Kasean Pryor, a transfer center coming in from South Florida, led the Cardinals with 18 points in their opener against Morehead State. Louisville won impressively, 93-45.
“They play really fast,” Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark said. “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.”
The Cardinals also have veteran guard Chucky Hepburn, who comes over from Wisconsin.
Louisville begins the season ranked 53rd in KenPom. Tennessee checks in at No. 12. We’ll learn quite a bit about both sides on Saturday.
How to watch Tennessee at Louisville
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Time: Noon ET
TV Channel: ACC Network
Streaming Link: Watch ESPN, ESPN App
Odds: Tennessee -1.5