Louisville Rolls Past Memphis in Reignited Rivalry

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Another rival of the Louisville's men's basketball program bites the dust.

Welcoming former longtime conference rival Memphis to the KFC Yum! Center after a few extra days off, it was business as usual for the Cardinals, emerging with a decisive 99-73 victory over the Tigers on Saturday.

No. 11 Louisville (9-1, 0-0 ACC) goes 3-0 against their primary rivals - Kentucky, Cincinnati and Memphis - in a single season for the first time since the 2012-13 season, and the seventh time in program history. UofL beat both UK and UC last month, winning 96-88 over the Wildcats and 74-64 against the Bearcats.

Despite having not played the Tigers (4-5, 0-0 American) since 2017, the Cardinals now lead the all-time series 55-36. Like with Cincinnati, Louisville and Memphis used to play on an annual basis, but have only played six times since Louisville left Conference-USA in the mid-2000's. The two schools agreed to a six-year series this past summer.

For most of the game, Louisville looked like the prime Golden State Warriors on the offensive end of the floor. Not only did they go 18-of-35 from deep for their second-most made threes of the season, they assisted on 24 of their 30 made baskets while turning it over just 13 times. Add in a 12-of-19 mark inside the arc, and they were 55.6 percent from the floor overall.

On the other end of the court, they weren't half-bad, either. Memphis shot only 41.2 percent from the floor, including 3-of-11 on threes, and had more turnovers (11) than assists (8). The Tigers did snatch 16 offensive rebounds and scored 21 second chance points, and the Cardinals won the overall rebounding battle 34-to-33.

Six different Cards cracked double figures scoring, led by a 17-point effort from Ryan Conwell. Mikel Brown Jr. added 16 points, Adrian Wooley finished with 15 points, Sananda Fru and Kasean Pryor both had 11, while Khani Rooths tallied 10 plus a team-best eight rebounds and four assists. Hasan Abdul Hakim led Memphis with 18 points.

Six different Louisville players made multiple threes in the blowout, marking the first such instance since a 114-82 win at Western Kentucky on Dec. 22, 2010, and just the second time in program history overall.

In the first half, Louisville was a model of efficiency from the offensive end of the court. The Cardinals not only shot 17-of-28 during this period, it included a blazing 12-of-22 mark on three-point tries - including at one point making seven in a row. This first half three-point barrage was assisted by a perfect 5-of-5 showing inside the arc, as well as assists on 14 of their made baskets before halftime.

Defensively, they did a solid job of containing Memphis and allowing their offense to take control. Despite hauling in eight first half offensive rebounds, the Tigers were still held to 16-of-38 from the field, including a 3-of-15 start to the game. The latter allowed UofL to go on a 14-3 run early in the game to establish firm control, eventually resulting in a 57-37 halftime lead.

Louisville did take their foot off the gas some in the second half, especially with their aggressiveness in taking three-point shots. But even in a half that featured a segment they missed five straight and went three-and-a-half minutes without scoring, they still went 13-of-26 from the field and 6-of-13 on threes during the period. Add in Memphis only going 12-for-30 after halftime, and the closest they could get was just 20 points with 10:17 left.

Next up, Louisville will head back on the road, traveling to Knoxville for a ranked showdown with Tennessee. Tip-off against the Volunteers is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

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