CRAWFORD | Hard hats and hard truths: Louisville faces rugged road test at Tennessee | U of L Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After Louisville's only loss of the season — a setback at Arkansas in which his team was outplayed physically — Cardinals' coach Pat Kelsey gave construction hard hats to his players, with Cardinal logos on the side.

The message: This will be a blue-collar team that demonstrates toughness against teams that want to bully them defensively and on the boards.

The Cardinals have bounced back with impressive wins over Indiana and Memphis, but their visit to No. 20 Tennessee on Tuesday night is a different challenge entirely.

"It's one of the most physical rugged teams in college basketball, if not the most rugged and physical team in college basketball," Kelsey said. "So we've got to be ready for a battle. Hall of Fame coach, top rebounding team in the country, big-time environment. It's a great opportunity for our team to go into that lion's den."

Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford

Louisville as a program, has won 30 of its past 34 games. The Cardinals are seventh nationally in scoring (94.3 points per game), third in made threes per game (13.2), 11^th in assists per game (19.7) and fifth in scoring margin (26.2).

But Kelsey and his players know that offense alone won't get it done in Knoxville. The battle begins on the glass. Tennessee ranks third nationally in rebound margin (+12.9) and third in offensive rebounds per game (15.6). Louisville's rebounding has been solid (+8.0 margin), but this is a level up.

Junior guard Ryan Conwell — who leads Louisville with 19.4 points per game and has emerged as a top-tier national backcourt presence — explained on a recent Field of 68 podcast the team's mindset shift after the Arkansas loss:

"It was a reality check," he said. "We've got the talent, but it's about matching the physicality and toughness every night ... especially on the road. We've been preaching that since the Arkansas game. And that's why we have these hard hats."

Conwell says the goal tonight is simple: "Be us. And set the tone."

The Cards will need that identity — fast, deep, connected — to hold against a Tennessee team trying to claw out of a three-game losing streak.

All three of those losses came away from Knoxville, against good teams: To Syracuse, Illinois, and Kansas. But Rick Barnes' squad has been elite at home, winning 41 straight non-conference home games. Under Barnes, Tennessee is 23-8 against ranked teams at home, including 9-1 against Top 10 visitors and 6-0 against those in the Top 5.

They've made seven straight NCAA Tournaments, three Sweet 16s, and two Elite Eights in the last three seasons. Their formula: rebounding, defense, and a toughness that Barnes says hasn't been consistent this year.

"We've worked hard physically," Barnes said. "But it's mental. It's about understanding the importance of every possession. We want consistency — and we haven't had it."

Tonight, Barnes turns to freshman forward DeWayne Brown II in the starting lineup, seeking more grit and discipline in the post with veteran Cade Phillips sidelined.

Perhaps the most interesting matchup is of backcourts.

Louisville's Conwell has been scorching from deep (42.0% 3PT), contributes across the board, and sets the Cards' tempo. Tennessee's Ja'Kobi Gillespie, a senior transfer, leads the Vols with 17.3 ppg and 5.4 assists. He's tough, experienced, and explosive — but turnover-prone under pressure.

Whichever team wins that matchup likely controls the game. And whichever team controls its defensive backboard. Louisville allowed Memphis to rebound 38 percent of its misses in a win Saturday, a number Kelsey called "a little bit too high."

A year ago, Tennessee came into Louisville and physically dominated the Cardinals in a game that was a wake-up to its staff and team. Now, it's time for the program, and a new set of Cardinals, to measure themselves against that challenge.

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