Tennessee didn't just pass its first road test on Saturday. It aced it.

The No. 12 Vols, in just the second game of their 2024-25 campaign, hardly looked fazed at any moment during their 77-55 win over Louisville at KFC Yum! Center, even when the Cardinals found a spark.

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Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler were again the headliners for Tennessee (2-0) offensively, scoring 19 points each and taking over stretches of the game when Louisville was trying to close in.

Zeigler added seven assists and three steals on defense.

Felix Okpara finished with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. Jahmai Mashack led with seven rebound--all of on the defensive end.

Tennessee held Louisville (1-1) to 26.7% shooting from the field and 25.6% from beyond the arc.

The win marked Rick Barnes' 204th at Tennessee, drawing him even in second place with former head coach Don DeVoe in all-time wins in program history.

Tennessee's defense gave Louisville fits early.

Takeaways from Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack on back-to-back Cardinals possessions led to points on the other end, giving the Vols a 4-0 lead less than two minutes in.

Two mid-range jumpers from Chaz Lanier and a Cade Phillips' put-back stretched Tennessee's lead to 10-0 and Louisville was still scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting from the field through the first five minutes of the first half.

Reyne Smith provided Louisville's first basketball on a corner 3-pointer with 14:35 left in the half, but Phillips responded with a dunk to push Tennessee's advantage to 12-3 on the next possession.

Just like he did against Gardner-Webb in the season opener earlier in the week, Jordan Gainey didn't take long to make an impact. He drained a deep three, then Zeigler followed with another from deep to make it 18-8 at the second media timeout.

Though Louisville had found a little life on offense, Tennessee had an answer for every thing. The Vols rattled off a 6-0 run, which included another score from Phillips to swell the lead to 27-13 before the Cardinals burned a timeout with 8:13 to go in the half.

That timeout did little to slow Tennessee down. Lanier scored out of the break to extend the Vols' run, while Louisville had gone more than four minutes without points.

Even after the Cardinals ended that scoring drought, Tennessee refused them to establish a rhythm. On one sequence during a 7-0 run from the Vols, Zeigler scored on a layup, stayed on the baseline to disrupt the ensuing inbound pass and then scored off the turnover he created.

J.P. Estrella scored off of an offensive rebound to open up a 20-point lead at 36-16 and it looked like Tennessee was going to roll into halftime in comfort. But Louisville found life again, and this time, sustained it.

Noah Waterman, as part of a 10-point half, opened a 10-0 scoring run for the Cardinals with a 3-pointer, then hit another a few possessions later. An and-1 for Chucky Hepburn closed the gap and trimmed Tennessee's lead to 40-26 at the half.

Lanier built off his big first half with a 3-pointer to open the scoring in the second, then Igor Milicic Jr. added another from deep to go up 46-28 just over two minutes into the half.

Offense was hard to come by for both teams after the 15 minute mark. The Vols went nearly three minutes without a basket and Louisville was scoreless for more than two minutes as Tennessee maintained a 47-32 edge.

Smith drew the Cardinals closer with a three to end the drought and cut the Vols' lead to just 12 with 13:31 remaining. It was followed by an offensive foul on Gainey--his third--and then a Rick Barnes' timeout to try and quell Louisville's momentum.

That timeout proved worthwhile. Zeigler connected on a much-needed 3-pointer from deep out of the break and Tennessee was up 50-38 with less than 13 minutes to go.

After a Louisville surge, the Cardinals went couldn't come up with points another three-plus minute stretch and the Vols took advantage.

Two-straight scores from Lanier on a 3-pointer and then a layup started to put Louisville away with Tennessee's lead out to 55-38.

Zeigler widened the gap even further with back-to-back threes, extending the Vols' lead to 65-43 with under eight minutes left.

That 10-0 run that covered two minutes proved to be the dagger as Tennessee ran away with it down the stretch.

It might be safe to say that Chaz Lanier is gelling well.

The once highly sought after transfer was expected to bolster Tennessee's line up on offense and has done that in just two games--this time in what started as a daunting road environment.

Lanier took the crowd out of it several times, including when he ended a scoring drought with consecutive scores. He was 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range.

Zakai Zeigler's own scoring contributions can't be overlooked, either. He was equally impressive on the offensive end when the Vols needed it, going 7-of-13 from the field and four-made 3--pointers, including a few that helped Tennessee pull away down the stretch.

Tennessee returns to Knoxville for a two-game homestand next week.

The Vols host Montana on Wednesday (7 p.m ET) and then Austin Peay (3 p.m. ET) on Sunday at Food City Center. Both games will air on SEC Network+.

Those games will serve as tune-ups before Tennessee goes to the Bahamas to play in the Baha Mar Championship in Nassau against Virginia and then either Baylor or St. John's from Nov. 21-22.

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