Louisville Annihilated by No. 21 Texas Tech in Maui Invitational
LAHAINA, Hawaii - One day removed from getting blown out by No. 9 Arkansas in their Maui Invitational opener, the Louisville men's basketball program followed that up with an even more stunning performance against No. 21 Texas Tech, falling 70-38 Tuesday at the Lahaina Civic Center in their second game of the event.
The Cardinals continue their worst start in over 80 years, falling to 0-5 for the season and winless in the Kenny Payne era. The last time they dropped their first five games was during the 1940-41 season when they lost their first 11 games.
It was their lowest scoring output since falling 62-34 at Xavier on Jan. 7, 1948, and they are the first ACC team to start 0-5 since Virginia in 1960-61.
Outside of a solid defensive start to the game and a flicker of life down the stretch, Louisville did absolutely nothing right in this game. They shot 22.4 percent from the field and 16.7 percent on three-point attempts to Texas Tech's 43.1 and 26.3 percent, and committed 18 turnovers to a measly five assists.
Once again, Louisville had no answers down low in the post, as they were out-rebounded 45-29 and lost the points in the a paint battle 32-12. The Cardinals were just 5-of-15 on layups.
No Cardinals reached double figures in scoring, with El Ellis and Jae'Lyn Withers tying for the team lead in points with seven. Withers also logged the most rebounds with five. Texas Tech's Kevin Obanor led all scorers with 15 points.
Louisville was able to score the game's first points on a Withers three-pointer, but it was Texas Tech who set the tone early, as the Red Raiders immediately countered with an 11-0 run. That being said, the Cardinals did show some early resolve, at least on the defensive of things.
While Louisville connected on just three of their first 11 field goal attempts of the game, they also held Texas Tech to a 5-of-17 shooting start. After digging themselves into an early hole, some execution down in the paint and at the free throw line saw them trim the deficit to just four points at the 8:56 mark.
But like in the second half against Arkansas the day before, things quickly fell off for Louisville after that. The Red Raiders ended the second half on a 17-2 run, ballooning their two-possession lead into a 32-13 halftime advantage. Louisville shot just 17.4 percent over the first half to Texas Tech's 41.7 percent, committing twice as many turnovers (8) as they had field goals (4).
Things got from bad to worse when the second half got underway. Texas Tech fired off a 13-0 run as soon as play resumed, which was part of a 25-7 stretch that pushed their lead to as much as 38 with under seven minutes to go. Prior to a flurry of scoring by the Cards towards the end, Louisville hit just three of their first 16 shot of the half, while the Red Raider hit nine of their first 14.
The only pride that Louisville showed all night was when they out-scored Texas Tech 18-12 in the final six and a half minutes.
Next up, Louisville will play their third and final game in the Maui Invitational, taking on the loser of tonight's Ohio State-Cincinnati matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Mike James: Brian Spurlock - KemperLesnik)
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