Tennessee has a bigger in-state battle coming up on Wednesday when they take on Memphis (for the second time this year) at Memphis.
But first, they have to take on the Mocs, who think they have a real shot to beat the Vols in Knoxville on Monday. The Vols have struggled since November 28. They lost to Oakland by 8, lost to Pitt by 5, lost to Austin Peay by 4, lost to Charleston by 6, beat UNC-Asheville by 4 and beat ETSU by 3. Then, on Thursday night, the Vols hammered The Citadel by 31 points. They also played Duke and Memphis close in the Maui Invitational. So, which Vols are for real? The team that lost to Oakland and Austin Peay and couldn't put away UNCA or ETSU? Or the team that hammered The Citadel, and played Duke, Memphis, and Pitt close?
That's the burning question about these Vols. The Mocs hope that they can add some fuel to the fire and beat Tennessee to show what they are capable of.
The Vols have four players that average in double figures. Trae Golden is averaging 13.0 points per game, Jeronne Maymon 12.1, Jordan McRae 11.5, and Cameron Tatum 10.2.
Skylar McBee is a deadly three point shooter. He shoots 46.3% from behind the arc. Tatum is shooting 44.49% from behind the arc.
Maymon averages 7.6 rebounds per game, while Kenny Hall averages 5.3.
The good news for the Mocs is that no one is really tall on the Mocs roster. Hall is 6-9, while Maymon and Tatum both are 6-7. Renaldo Woolridge is also 6-9. Drazen Zlovaric is tall enough to compete with those guys. Jahmal Burroughs and Z Mason are not tremendously tall, but they can compete with these guys.
What we have seen from the Mocs throughout the year is that they compete better in terms of rebounding when they are presented with a challenge, such as against Indiana or against Kentucky. The Mocs need to hope that the challenge exists against Tennessee enough to motivate the players to compete at that level. If they do compete like that, the Mocs can certainly win the rebounding war.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Rebounding. The Mocs need to win the rebounding battle to be able to continue to compete. They absolutely can not give the Vols a lot of second chance opportunities to win this game.
--Trae Golden vs. Keegan Bell. With Golden's 5.7 assists per game, and 13.0 points per game, and 40% three point shooting, Bell could really produce a challenge against Golden. Bell has not been shooting well from three point range, but is averaging 7.1 assists per game. This point guard match-up is very important to both teams to win the game.
--Omar Wattad's shooting. He needs to shoot the ball well to give the Mocs a chance. Ricky Taylor is another key shooter for the Mocs, but he has been more consistent than Wattad has been. He is starting to come on strong it looks like. If he can continue to shoot that well, the Mocs are going to be a tough out in this one.
--The Bigs. Zlovaric, Mason, and Burroughs all had very good games against Kentucky. If they play that well again, the Vols could have their hands full inside.
--Strong start. The Mocs need to start well to get their confidence up in a big game.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Rico White and Dontay Hampton will play a bigger role in this game than I am giving them credit for in the above discussion.
--Zlovaric will step up and have a nice game.
--Wattad and Bell will have good games as well.
--Maymon and Hall will be too much for the Mocs to control down low.
--Tennessee 72, Mocs 65. The Vols are athletic, and athletic teams have given the Mocs problems over the years. The Mocs are good enough to win this game, make no mistake. The Mocs defense is very solid, and could produce a real challenge to the Vols high octane offense. But in the end, Maymon and Hall will be too tough, and Golden will make a couple of big shots down the stretch to come up with the win in Knoxville.
GO MOCS!
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