Charlotte, NC -- (Sports Network) - Earl Clark scored a game-high 17 points to go along with 12 rebounds, and third-seeded Louisville played at second-seeded Tennessee's frantic pace and came out victorious, 79-60, in an East Regional Sweet 16 contest.

Andre McGee and Jerry Smith -- the highest scoring of four Smiths in the contest -- added 13 points apiece and Terrence Williams donated 12 points for the Cardinals (27-8), who earned a date with top-seeded North Carolina in the East Regional final on Saturday.

Chris Lofton scored a team-best 15 points, even though he made just 2-of-11 from beyond the arc, and JaJuan Smith donated 12 points and six rebounds. Tyler Smith contributed 11 points for the Volunteers (31-5), who shot just 33.9 percent from the floor.

"When you give any good team a steady diet of one defense, it's not quite as good," Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said. "We extend our zone almost like a half-court trap. We don't give the wings good looks."

The up-and-down affair featured chaotic play at both ends of the floor, including flying bodies, errant passes and plenty of missed shots for the Volunteers. The game featured 49 fouls, 37 turnovers and Tennessee made only 5-of-20 from beyond the arc.

"We struggled all night long, and Louisville deserves a great deal of credit for that," said Volunteers head coach Bruce Pearl. "I've been coaching a long time, and never has the tempo of the game been dictated so much by the opponent."

The game's first major swing came during a large chunk of time in the first half. Duke Crews' layup with 17:13 left in the initial period gave the Vols an early 7-6 edge.

Tennessee then went almost nine minutes without a field goal, and Louisville raced out to a 24-8 lead on the heels of an 18-1 stretch. The Vols couldn't connect from long distance with Lofton or off dribble penetration, and the Cardinals took advantage.

Jerry Smith's three made the score 17-8 and he buried another trey after a Derrick Caracter layup. Williams' emphatic slam opened the 16-point lead and forced a Tennessee timeout.

The Volunteers eventually got into the swing of things offensively, kicking off a 7-0 spurt with JaJuan Smith's three. Tyler Smith ended the stretch with a layup for a 24-15 contest.

The two teams battled for the remainder of the half, with the Cardinals holding a 37-30 lead after 20 minutes.

Louisville was on fire in the second half, shooting 66.7 percent from the floor. Tennessee tallied the first six points, capped by JaJuan Smith's short jumper, but Clark's jumper eventually pushed the edge to 49-39 with 13:25 on the clock.

Clark's three-point play one minute later made the score 52-41, and after a Lofton three-point play, the clubs went almost three minutes without a point.

Lofton's three with 8:23 to go cut the Vols' deficit to 54-47, but Clark's dunk four minutes later pushed the advantage to 64-52. Caracter's three-point play just before the four-minute mark put the game out of reach.

Game Notes:

The Cardinals bench outscored the Tennessee substitutes, 28-11...Louisville also scored 40 points in the paint...Caracter scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds. David Padgett added 10 points and eight rebounds...Wayne Chism scored nine points for the Vols, while Ramar Smith added six.