Tennessee basketball righted the ship in a major way Tuesday, taking care of No. 11 Louisville, 83-62.
In the performance, the No. 20 Vols (8-3) corrected many points of emphasis that arose during a three-game skid with losses to Kansas, Syracuse and No. 18 Illinois. Chief among them was an improved performance from Ja'Kobi Gillespie, who scored 23 points in the win over the Cardinals (9-2).
"I think it says a lot about these guys because the last 10 days have been tough for a reason because we knew we needed to get to a certain level," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. "Playing, again, getting ready . . . They knew what we needed to get done and they didn’t want to lose four in a row."
The Vols hadn't lost four in a row since 2016, Barnes' first year at the helm. Tennessee has played six Power 4 teams in a row -- rare during the month of December.
Gillespie's performance came at the perfect time as he scored the second-most points of his season, only behind his 32-point showing against Rutgers. After not getting to the free throw line during Tennessee's losing streak, the senior took 10 foul shots — and made all 10.
Nate Ament contributed 13 points to the effort but alongside Gillespie had to sit at the end of the first half due to foul trouble. The rest of the Vols stepped up, holding Tennessee's lead into the second half and keeping momentum.
"I hope it serves to be a great lesson for our guys to know that we don’t have to rely on any two guys," Barnes said. "We can rely on a bunch of guys if they’ll play the role that they need to play for us. It’s all about getting better."
Defensively, the Vols had a performance to remember. Louisville shot just 38% from the field and 21% from 3-point range. Tennessee forced 16 turnovers, scoring 21 points from Louisville's miscues. The Vols were aided by the absence of star Louisville freshman Mikel Brown Jr. (lower back injury).
Tennessee had its own injury concern. Cade Phillips, a 6-foot-9 junior, will miss the rest of the season after shoulder surgery.
Tennessee's depth shined in the win with the Vols scoring 34 points from its bench. Jaylen Carey led the Tennessee reserves with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Amari Evans scored seven points in just seven minutes on the floor.
On a team that is still looking for a consistent starting five, minutes are up for grabs. Defense and scoring consistency can see a bench player become a regular.
"We think that every guy we put out there we think can help us," Barnes said. "What we’re looking for is consistency, and we told them the guys that are locked in defensively night-to-night will be the guys who’ll probably play the most."
Tuesday's game was the last non-conference game of consequence for the Vols. Tennessee takes on Gardner-Webb and South Carolina State before the new year and will open SEC play at Bud Walton Arena against Arkansas on Jan. 3.
There are still areas to clean up before then, like Tennessee's season-long free throw percentage of 72%. Over the next two weeks, the Vols must also make sure their turnovers stay low, as they were Tuesday against Louisville (11).
The Vols hope they won't be in another position of avoiding a four-game losing streak, but they're prepared to do so. They're prepared for the adversity that comes with 18 SEC games and no games off from New Year's Day on. Tennessee is ready to forge its identity this year, one that will come from its results throughout the season.
"We definitely didn't want to lose four in a row, and we don't want to lose here," Gillespie said. "I wouldn't say pressure, we just were ready to come out and get a win."