The Tennessee Volunteers will battle the Kentucky Wildcats in the sweet sixteen on Friday, March 28, from Indianapolis at 7:39 pm. This is a matchup of two Southeastern Conference foes. Tennessee finished fourth in the southeastern conference, and Kentucky finished sixth in the Southeastern conference. Tennessee is a number three seed in the Midwest section, and Kentucky is a three seed. Sixth place for them was a little disappointing.
Kentucky is a historical power, and they usually win the conference, and they are usually a top-ranked team. Tennessee is a newer basketball power. Tennessee has stars and has recruited well. Kentucky is deep, too, though it would be a mild upset if they won. Do you think Kentucky will win this game?
Tennessee Volunteers: Keys to Victory
First, Tennessee needs to rebound the ball in order to win the game. It is the case that in high stakes games, like this one, the teams that does a better job on the glass has a better chance to win. Tennessee ranks 28th in team rebounding and Kentucky ranks 81st. So, Tennessee has done a lot better in rebounding than Kentucky this season, and the Volunteers must maintain that advantage if they are to prevail.
The second key to victory for the Tennessee is that their leading scorer, Chazz Lanier, a senior 6-foot-4 guard, must score. Lanier has averaged 18.1 points per game for the Volunteers this year. He must score at least in the 20s, if not higher, for the Volunteers to be successful in this game. Kentucky has balanced scoring and that must be countered by the most high-powered Volunteer scorer.
Third, and related, the Tennessee Volunteers have a huge advantage over the Wildcats in terms of team defense. Tennesee ranks eighth nationally in terms of team defense, and Kentucky ranks 181st. This is a huge advantage for Tennessee, and the Volunteers must be defensively efficient in this game to match Kentucky’s balanced scoring.
Kentucky Wildcats: Keys to Victory
That balanced scoring is one of the keys to victory for Kentucky. The Wildcats have 6 players who average more than 10 points a game. This may be the most players in the nation. This suggests that Kentucky has a lot of weapons and will be difficult to stop, The Volunteers are one of the most defensively efficient teams in the nation. They must use that efficiency to counter the balanced scoring attack grom Kentucky. There is a high likelihood that this game will be decided here.
Second, Kentucky beat Tennessee twice this year. The scores of those games, on January 28th and February 11, were 78-73 and 75-64. Those wins this season should give Kentucky some confidence. In both of those games, Kentucky had multiple double-digit scorers.
Third, in order to win this game, the Kentucky Wildcats needs to be defensively efficient and rebound the basketball. Both of these are keys in high-pressure basketball games. On both metrics, the Volunteers have an advantage over the Wildcats. In order to win, the Wildcats need to buck these statistics and do much better than their season rankings.
What Is Next?
The winner of this game will advance to the Elite Eight to face the winner of the Purdue-Houston State game, which is also on Friday, March 28, right after this one. That game would be on Sunday, also in Indianapolis. In this battle of Southeastern conference foes, the Volunteers are 4.5-point favorites, but Kentucky beating Tennessee twice this year should give those wagering on this game some pause.
Prediction
The Tennessee Volunteers are 5th in the Ken Pom rankings. The Kentucky Wildcats are ranked 15th. These are two good basketball teams who should play a close game in the sweet sixteen. Tennessee should win this game, narrowly, 73-72. That said, given the track record in this series this season, Kentucky could upset Tennessee.
Conclusion
This game is likely to be very entertaining. It is on television in prime time, so a lot of Americans should be watching. If you are only going to invest a few minutes watching this game watch the last five minutes of it. The game is likely to come down to the wire.
