No. 16 Louisville’s winning streak continues with a dominant victory over No. 17 Tennessee

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff Walz and his Louisville Cardinals are heading into a holiday break on a roll.

The 16th-ranked Cardinals have won six straight games, including an 89-65 rout of No. 17 Tennessee on Saturday at the Women’s Champions Classic. This was the Cardinals’ fourth consecutive win over Tennessee, with the previous one coming in the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

“We are playing some pretty good basketball,” Walz said. “I wish we weren’t going on break right now. But just how we’re passing the basketball, how we’re sharing the ball. Everybody’s involved.”

Louisville (12-3) doesn’t play again until facing Atlantic Coast Conference opponent SMU on Jan. 1. The Cardinals’ three losses this season have come against ranked opponents — No. 1 UConn, No. 3 South Carolina and No. 12 Kentucky.

During its current streak, the Cardinals had a big ACC win, topping North Carolina in overtime on the road. That was the team’s first win over an AP Top 25 team this season. Now the Cardinals have another one after knocking off a Southeastern Conference opponent. The ACC had struggled against the SEC in the challenge last month, dropping 13 of the 15 games.

“Some of it was matchups,” Walz said. “Getting this win definitely helps the conference.”

Louisville has played in the Women’s Champions Classic in both years and Walz joked after the win that hopefully it did enough to get invited back again. The Cardinals were blown out last year by UConn in the inaugural doubleheader.

Louisville has a favorable schedule toward the end of the season, with five of its final six ACC games at home.

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