Back on track

Good morning! It’s another great day to be a hoops fan. Especially if you also root for the Knicks.

Anyway, let’s focus on college hoops.

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1. Volunteers have their way vs. Louisville

A four-game Tennessee losing streak? That wasn’t in the cards.

The No. 20 Volunteers cruised to an 83-62 win over No. 9 Louisville on Tuesday night, picking up their first win since before Thanksgiving. And it was never in doubt.

Louisville led 7-5 in the first half. That was it. The Cardinals (9-2) trailed by double digits for most of the second half as the nation’s second-most efficient offense was held to just .9 points per possession. They were just 7-of-34 (20%) from beyond the arc, got outrebounded and committed 16 turnovers.

It’s just the third time Louisville’s been held to fewer than 62 points in Pat Kelsey’s two seasons. Two have come against Tennessee.

Ja'Kobe Gillespie (25 points) was brilliant, while big man Jaylen Carey provided an unexpected lift with 12 points and 10 boards (four offensive). He was the enforcer on the interior and set the physical tone in the first half.

"He could be that every night, but he won't get there every night until he's consistent in practice every day,” coach Rick Barnes said. "To understand that everyday you gotta get better. Believe me, he's just scratching the surface of what he can be, if he’s willing to make himself hurt. It hurts to be great.”

Louisville played without star freshman Mikel Brown Jr., who missed the game due to a nagging back issue. But it looked like Louisville would've struggled with or without him. Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely went a combined 5-for-20 from 3, and they're both shooting over 40% from deep.

Tennessee’s defense isn’t rated as highly as previous seasons, but another few games like this, and it’ll be the Vols of old.

2. Duke’s win over Lipscomb wasn’t routine

If you were flipping through scores during Tuesday’s slate, you probably saw No. 3 Duke go on a 10-0 run against Lipscomb in three minutes and looked away. Maybe you checked the final scores and saw Duke won, 97-73.

Well, it was not that easy.

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