No. 12 Tennessee arrived at Louisville as a three-point underdog, and proceeded to win by 22 points. Rick Barnes had his team ready to roll for an early tip-off, as they passed their first road test of the season.
Tennessee’s defense and shooting was on display early on. Zakai Zeigler sparked the defensive effort, as he usually does. The undersized senior point guard was everywhere, applying pressure on the Louisville offense. Zeigler came up with a block and two steals, which led to a big Tennessee lead in the first half.
In that first half, Chaz Lanier scored 11 points, shooting 4-7 from the floor.