Sweet 16: No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 2 Tennessee

No. 3 seed Louisville faces No. 2 seed Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament East Region semifinal Thursday night at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Cardinals are 2 1/2-point favorites.

This entertaining matchup features two of the most athletic teams in the field. The Volunteers possess incredible quickness. They create turnovers with high-pressure defense and have the offensive weapons to score on the fast break. Tennessee has 31 victories and has defeated 11 teams in the NCAA Tournament field.

The Volunteers are having an impressive season but don't appear to be playing their best basketball down the stretch. UT lost to Arkansas in the second round of the SEC Tournament and wasn't convincing in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee was in a tight game against American before pulling away and defeating the Eagles 72-57 in the opening round. Butler battled Tennessee to overtime in the second round before succumbing.

Coach Bruce Pearl made an unconventional decision to change his starting point guard during the NCAA Tournament. Sophomore J.P. Prince earned his first start of the season against Butler and played well but committed two costly turnovers in the final minute of the game. Usual starter Ramar Smith played the entire overtime period after sitting the final 12 minutes of regulation.

Despite the point guard concerns, the Volunteers are loaded with talent. Sharpshooter Chris Lofton has made 113 three-point baskets this season and averages 15.5 points per game. If the defense relaxes momentarily, Lofton will find enough space to get an open look and the senior is capable of knocking down shots from tremendous range.

Fellow senior guard JaJuan Smith scores 14.5 per game and drills nearly 40 percent of his three-point attempts. The Volunteers have several scoring options from the guard position.

Tennessee is undersized in comparison to the lengthy Cardinals but Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism and Duke Crews will provide interior toughness. Tyler Smith is the most versatile member of the team. The sophomore scores 13.7 per game and leads the Vols in assists, rebounds and steals. Chism and Crews combine for over 15 points and 10 rebounds per contest.

Louisville is one of the only teams in the field that can match Tennessee in pure athleticism. The young Cardinals struggled with team chemistry and injuries throughout the first half of the season but have played outstanding during the past two months.

Louisville's strength starts on the defensive end. The Cardinals use their excellent team speed to disturb a high percentage of their opponent's shots. Louisville also executes well on the offensive end. Every member of Rick Pitino's eight-man rotation scores at least 6.4 points per game.

While Senior center and team leader David Padgett leads the team with 11.4 points per game, the Cardinals' success is a result of balance. Junior Terrence Williams is good for 11 points and 7.3 rebounds per night. The forward is also the team leader in assists. Earl Clark averages double-digit points and leads the Cardinals with 8.0 rebounds per game. Guard Jerry Smith scores 10 points per game and leads the team in free-throw shooting and steals.

Edgar Sosa, Andre McGee, Derrick Caracter and Juan Palacios are also valuable members of team and are capable of producing in the clutch.

It will be interesting to watch Pearl and Pitino match wits. Both coaches will be in unfamiliar territory being matched up against an opponent with equivalent athleticism. The coaches both use a full-court press to disturb inferior competition but the pressure may not be effective versus equal quickness.

The 'total' is set at 146. Many expect an up-tempo shootout but Louisville may have an advantage in half-court sets and may attempt to slow it down. Tennessee will likely push tempo but may be forced to fall back on defense if the full-court pressure is ineffective.

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