Michael Allen 
Chaz Lanier drives to the basket in Tennessee's 77-55 win against Louisville on Saturday
Meta Description: Tennessee defeats Louisville after a mediocre performance against Gardner-Webb. Could Tennessee be gelling together sooner than we thought?
After a performance that left a lot to be desired against Gardner-Webb, Tennessee suffocated Louisville from start to finish with a 77-55 performance that held Louisville to 26.7% shooting on the day.
Tennessee looked better offensively against Gardner-Webb as standout transfer Chaz Lanier led the way with 18 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the field. Jordan Gainey added in 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting. The Vols shot just over 50% from the field, but the defense left much to be desired in this game. Rick Barnes’ teams pride themselves on defense and rebounding, but the Runnin’ Bulldogs shot 44% from the field while getting many open looks from the floor. The Vols were also outrebounded in the contest 32-29 against a team that was smaller overall than they were. However, a win is a win no matter how ugly it might be.
The Louisville game started out much different than the Gardner-Webb game as Tennessee jumped out to a 10-0 lead, and didn’t allow Louisville to score until the 14:35 mark in the first half. During that stretch the Vols forced 4 Cardinal turnovers and 7 missed shots including 6 from the three-point line. The defensive suffocation continued throughout the rest of the first half, and Tennessee took a 40-26 lead into the break.
Louisville seemed to get some momentum in the 2nd half as they cut the lead to 47-38 with 13 minutes to go in the game. The Vols went on to outscore the Cardinals 30-17 from that point on to cruise to victory in their first big contest of the regular season.
Tennessee shot 57% from the field while outrebounding Louisville 40-26, and outscoring the Cardinals 40-10 in the paint. Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier scored 19 points apiece while Felix Okpara chipped in 10 points while shooting a perfect 4 for 4 from the field.
The Vols looked to take quite a few steps forward from game one to game two, which leads to the question: will Tennessee gel together sooner than later? After the Indiana charity game, it looked like there was a long way to go for the transfer players to get in their groove with the Barnes system. However, the Louisville game made it seem like the learning gap wasn’t as big as originally thought. Lanier looks more comfortable on the floor on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Okpara still has some things to work on offensively, but is a menace on defense and on the glass. Milicic still needs to find his flow on offense, but his athleticism is a big advantage being able to guard all 5 positions on the floor.
Returning players from the team are also looking more comfortable on the floor as well. Cade Phillips has taken a big leap in the offseason as he has greatly improved his play on offense while holding his own on defense. JP Estrella is still returning from an offensive injury, but is flying all over the place on both ends of the court giving quality minutes every time Coach Barnes puts him into the game. Cameron Carr is one of, if not the most athletic player on the floor every time he enters the game. He is a pest on defense, but is still trying to find consistency on the offensive end.
College Basketball is a fun thing to watch with many ups and downs throughout the season, as Tennessee fans know all too well, but if the Vols can get things going sooner than they have in years past, this season could be a fun one as well as one with a deep run attached to it.
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