Tennessee basketball: Vols preview, live stream, prediction vs. LSU Tigers
Tennessee basketball is back home to take on LSU in the first of their two-game homestand. Here is the preview of the UT Volunteers and the LSU Tigers.
Tennessee basketball (15-5, 5-3 SEC) will entertain the LSU Tigers (12-8, 3-5) in a mid-week SEC matchup on Wednesday. This game will be The Vols’ first of two homes games as Ole Miss comes to town on Saturday.
This game will be the only time Tennessee and LSU will meet in the regular season. The last meeting between the two teams was last season on March 1, 2017. In that game, the Tigers snapped a 15-game skid defeating the Vols 92-82.
However, this is a different Tennessee basketball team. They are currently riding a 3-game winning streak and have won six of the past seven games. This is nothing unusual for the Vols this season. The current win streak marks the fourth 3-game winning streak of the season. In late November the Vols had a 4-game winning streak until losing to North Carolina.
In the last game against Iowa State in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, a challenge in which the SEC won 6-4, it was a total beat down. The Vols dominated the entire game and held the Cyclones under 50 points, which marks their lowest scoring output since the 2009 season.
As for LSU, they aren’t having as good of a season. The Tigers are 3-5 in conference play and coming off a 25-point beat-down by the league leader, Auburn Tigers. LSU has dropped the last four of five games, and bad news continues to spread in the program.
The news came out on Monday that LSU has suspended freshmen Mayan Kiir and Galen Alexander for the season. Sophomore Wayde Sims and freshman Brandon Rachal are suspended for the Tennessee game. These suspensions shouldn’t bother the Tigers that much; Sims had the most impact playing 17.5 minutes a game but only was scoring 5.7 points per game. Unless the Tigers can win out, they most likely won’t be dancing in March.
Speaking of dancing, in the latest bracketology, from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, Tennessee is a four seed in the West region playing South Dakota State. In the CBS Sports projection from Jerry Palm, Tennessee is a three seed in the West region playing an always-scary Belmont team. Either way, if the Vols can continue their current pace of play, they will be dancing with a higher seed in the tournament.
The Vols have an opportunity to continue their winning streak against a struggling LSU team. Before we preview both teams and give our prediction, here is the information you need for Saturday’s game.
LSU Tigers at No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers
When: Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. E.T.
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena; Knoxville, Tenn.
TV: SEC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Line: Tennessee -9.5
Over/Under: 141.5
TENNESSEE PREVIEW
Tennessee is coming off a 68-45 statement win against Iowa State on Saturday. Despite a slow start on 1-9 shooting, the Vols turned it around and never looked back. They took a 31-19 lead into halftime and kept the pedal down and coasted to a 68-45 win.
It was pleasing to see the defensive intensity stay at a high level all game. If the Vols can continue to play defense with that kind of energy, they will be a hard team to beat down the stretch.
Tennessee revealed what it was capable of in the Iowa State game by winning without leaning on Grant Williams. Don’t get me wrong, Williams played well with nine points and ten rebounds, but he didn’t have his typical Grant Williams type of game.
It will be interesting to see if Lamonte Turner can continue his high level of play. The Iowa State game marked the second time in three games where Turner accounted for 20 points or more. Let’s watch to see if Turner can have back-to-back 20-point games for the first time this season.
LSU PREVIEW
While LSU is struggling a bit, they are still exceeding expectations. Much like Tennessee, LSU was chosen to finish near the bottom in the SEC standings, last to be exact. Before the rout by Auburn, LSU beat Texas A&M 77-65. This is another game the Vols should win but won’t be easy.
Tremont Waters is one of the leaders for the Tigers. He is averaging 15.2 points a game with 5.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds. Earlier in the season against Marquette, Waters went off for 39 points on 5-11 shooting from beyond the arc.
With all the outstanding plays Waters can make also comes with freshman blunders. This past game against Auburn he six turnovers with zero assist. It will be entertaining to see if Tennessee can play that same type of in your face defense to agitate the young guard.
Another player to watch is big man Duop Reath. The senior forward is having a great season, and the past three games have been notable. Starting with Vanderbilt, Reath has 31 points with 13 rebounds. He mirrored that performance with a 21-point and eight-rebound game. This past game against Auburn he led the team in scoring with 18 points. Reath and Alexander should be an enjoyable matchup to watch.
WATER-COOLER CHAT
Lamonte Turner is 34-36 in SEC action from the free throw line.
Lamonte Turner only has two turnovers in the past six games with eight assists.
Kyle Alexander only has three games this season where he hasn’t accorded a block.
James Daniel III leads the team in assist with 3.5 per game. He has accorded at least one assist in every game this season.
PREDICTION
If you saw my article on how the SEC is a much-improved conference this year, then you would know this game won’t be an obvious win. The Vols should win this game especially with it being at home. I like the Vols 67-59.