Thu Mar 27 10:34:35 2008

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Cardinals and Vols clash in Charlotte

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Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - In what is sure to be an outstanding Sweet 16 matchup, the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers will square off with the third-seeded Louisville Cardinals in Charlotte this evening. The winner will battle either top-seeded North Carolina or fourth-seeded Washington State for the right to represent the East Region in the Final Four.

Louisville cruised to a 79-61 decision over 14th-seeded Boise State in round one and was even more impressive in a 78-48 romp over sixth-seeded Oklahoma in the second round. The Cardinals are making their 35th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and own a stellar 56-35 all-time record in the event. They won the national title in both 1980 and 1986 and have eight Final Four appearances to their credit.

As for Tennessee, it ended up beating American University by a 72-57 final in the first round, but that game was much closer than the final score suggests. The Vols got another scare in the second round, as they needed overtime to knock off Butler by a 76-71 margin. Although the road to the Sweet 16 has not been smooth, the squad is certainly happy to have avoided defeat. The Vols' 31 wins this season have eclipsed the previous school record of 26 set in 1999-2000. They are making their 16th NCAA Tournament appearance, and while a 13-16 record in the event isn't exactly impressive, last year's squad did reach the round of 16 as well.

Louisville holds an 11-7 series edge over Tennessee, including an 85-62 romp over the Vols in the most recent meeting in 2005. Eleven of the last 12 matchups between the two squads have been won by the Cardinals.

In the first half of Sunday's game against Oklahoma, Louisville connected on 54.5 percent of its field goal attempts while limiting the Sooners to just 33.3 percent. The Cardinals led by 22 points at intermission and were even better defensively in the second half. Earl Clark scored 14 points to lead the way in the victory, and Jerry Smith pitched in 12 points. Louisville was able to rack up 24 assists against only 12 turnovers, helping overshadow a poor 5- of-15 performance from the foul line. The Cardinals also missed half of their 18 free throws in the first game of the tourney, so keep an eye on how the team performs from the charity stripe this evening. Louisville connected on 55.8 percent of its field goal attempts against Boise State, and the offensive execution through the first two games of this tournament has been outstanding. Clark also led the team with 15 points against the Broncos, and his production off the bench has been stellar. There are four players on the UofL roster averaging between 11.4 ppg and 10.5 rpg, and balance has been key to the team's success.

Credit strong defense for Tennessee's victory over Butler, as the Vols held the Bulldogs to 36.1 percent shooting from the floor. A 46-39 rebounding advantage also helped the cause for the resilient Vols, who refused to fall despite a serious challenge from a tough opponent. Wayne Chism came through with 16 points for Tennessee, and Tyler Smith added 15 points and eight rebounds. On a down note, Tyler Smith failed to register an assist and turned the ball over seven times. As for JaJuan Smith, he contributed 11 points. Chris Lofton scored nine rebounds, and surprise starter at point guard, JP Prince, added nine points as well. Looking back to the first-round win over American University, Lofton was held to five points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field, and the team expects much more production from its senior leader. Like in the second round, Chism had 16 points against American, and his strong offensive production has been a bit unexpected. JaJuan Smith led the way against American with 19 points.