Top-ranked Cardinals fall to Texas Tech

Louisville struggles offensively at Madison Square Garden

Louisville men’s basketball was handed its first loss of the season, falling to Texas Tech 70-57 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Gardens Dec. 10. The top-ranked Cardinals struggled offensively shooting 34 percent from the field and ended with 19 turnovers.

The Cardinals shot just 3 of 17 from behind the arc and scuffled against the Red Raider defensive pressure. Jordan Nwora finished with a team-high 14 points on 4 of 16 shooting along with nine rebounds for Louisville. Steven Enoch was the only other double-figure scorer for the Cardinals, tallying 10 points.

After leading by three points at halftime, Texas Tech outscored Louisville by 10 in the second half. Davide Moretti scored a team-high 18 points for the Red Raiders. Terrence Shannon Jr. added 13 points.

Louisville held its last advantage with just over 12 minutes left in the first half before Texas Tech took the lead for good. The Cardinals trimmed their deficit to two points on a Nwora free throw with 15:33 left in the second half, but couldn’t come any closer.

The Red Raiders took a double-digit advantage on a 3-pointer from Moretti with 11:42 left. Louisville pulled within 48-44 with 8:42 left on a jumper by Malik Williams, but Texas Tech answered.

Texas Tech clinched the game with a 10-2 run late in the second half.

With Louisville’s loss, there will be a new number one team in next week’s polls, the fifth time in seven weeks. The Cardinals host Eastern Kentucky Saturday, Dec. 14 at the KFC Yum! Center.