Georgia Tech will try to erase the taste of its embarrassing loss to Grambling State when it takes on the Tennessee Volunteers Sunday night. Tech’s aforementioned debacle occurred on Friday night, while the Vols beat Mercer 84-60 in their last game on Wednesday.
Tennessee was picked to finish 13th in the SEC, but looks like it could finish closer to 13th in the country this season. The Vols are 5-1, with their only loss by nine points to Villanova - a game in which Tennessee held a double-digit lead.
Tennessee goes 10 or 11 guys deep in a game, using a rotation similar to what you might see in a hockey game with guys going just a few minutes at a time. This strategy has worked extremely well for the Vols thus far, as players seem to be fresh throughout the game and can wear down opponents in the second half.
Tennessee’s best player is forward Grant Williams, who is averaging 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. In the backcourt, UT has a bevy of great guards, with Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden, Lamonte Turner and James Daniel III all capable of going off at any moment.
Aside Grant Williams, Tennessee doesn’t have one great player, but it has a plethora of good ones. Tennessee’s guards have created a great rotation this year and all seem content to share the ball amongst themselves and with the Vols’ big men.
Tennessee beat #18 Purdue in overtime in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament earlier this year. The Vols would lose to Villanova in the second round, but finished the tournament with a win over North Carolina State to finish in third place.
Tennessee is a very good basketball team. The Vols are currently ranked 25th in KenPom and come to Atlanta as four-point favorites. This is going to be a big challenge for the Yellow Jackets.