Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Louisville became the third No. 1 ranked team this season to fall to an unranked opponent by losing to Texas Tech at the Jimmy V. Classic Tuesday night.
The Red Raiders, runners up in last season's NCAA Final Four, upset the Cardinals 70-57 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Junior guard Davide Moretti scored a game-high 18 points for Texas Tech, which improved its record to 6-3.
"We're really proud of this victory because we feel like we played and ultimately beat the scoreboard in a 40 minute game [against] one of the best teams in college basketball," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard told reporters. "Happy for our guys."
Louisville (9-1) went on an 8-0 run to take a 12-5 lead early in the first half, before Texas Tech responded with an 11-0 run. The Red Raiders never trailed again after holding a 31-28 advantage at halftime.
Texas Tech pushed their lead to 15 points in the second half.
"I give all the credit in the world to Texas Tech," Louisville head coach Chris Mack said. "I thought they took the fight to us tonight. I think they have, obviously, lost a lot from last year, but they haven't lost their identity. They are a very tough team on the defensive end and they completely negated a lot of the stuff we were trying to run.
"They had a lot of effort and communication and had a want to win the game. Hopefully, our guys take this as a lesson learned."
Junior forward Jordan Nwora scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds and center Steven Enoch chipped in 10 points for the Cardinals. Freshman guard Terrence Shannon Jr. had 13 points and Avery Benson had 10 points for the Red Raiders.
The Red Raiders next host Southern Mississippi at 7 p.m. EST Monday at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. The Cardinals host Eastern Kentucky at noon Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.
