No. 20 Tennessee shuts down No. 11 Louisville to end three-game skid

Not only was Tennessee stout defensively, but it also excelled on offense, shooting 55% from the field and converting on seven of its 18 three-point attempts. This one from sophomore guard Ethan Burg, who had five points off the bench, was one of those seven.

The physicality was also a factor in Tennessee's ability to hold Louisville to a season-low point total. This jam from forward Felix Okpara was the exclamation point on a dominant showing as the Volunteers stretched their advantage to 81-56 with three minutes to play.

Senior guard Ryan Conwell (22 points) and sophomore guard Adrian Wooley (19 points) were basically the only offense the entire game for the Cardinals as Tennessee forced 16 turnovers and outscored them, 42-30, in the paint.

Aside from Gillespie's 23 points — 20 of which were in the second half — junior forward Jaylen Carey had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench, while freshman Nate Ament (13 points, seven rebounds) had his best performance against stiffer competition after scoring 11 points or fewer in three of the last four games.

Not only was scoring an issue during Tennessee's three-game losing streak coming in, its usually strong defense did not play with the same physicality, giving up 48% shooting in the most recent loss to then-No. 14 Illinois.

According to KenPom, the Volunteers are ranked 15th despite their three early-season losses, which speaks to their potential when everything is clicking.

When Tennessee is the more physical team and the defense is on point, it has proved several times under head coach Rick Barnes how difficult it can be to contain. Tuesday night was just the latest example.