Tennessee basketball: A week off is not ideal for the Vols with No.1 Gonzaga up next

The Tennessee basketball team is gearing up for their second top-ten matchup of the season with a game against the No.1 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs on Sunday.

The Tennessee basketball team has another top-ten matchup they are getting ready for. Late last month the Vols played No.2 Kansas in the Championship Game of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Now, they are gearing up for a matchup with the No.1 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs.

When Tennessee takes the court on Sunday, it will be their first game in seven days. Usually with a veteran team, like the Vols, that could be considered a good thing. However, as someone who is going to predict the game, I’m not so sure the time off is going to help Tennessee.

No, I’m not saying the Vols don’t have a chance, even though Gonzaga has the length and talent to cause a lot of problems. But it will be an uphill battle especially considering it will be a week in between games.

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I think the Vols will come out ready to play even though there is a handful of wrinkles they need to iron out to be playing at peak level. Assuming the starting lineup stays the same, it will be Yves Pons third start of his career. He looked great in start number one; we even highlighted his play in our takeaways of the game.

But, in game number two, it looked like he was pushing and forcing instead of letting the game come to him. Pons isn’t the type of player to drop 20 points -at least not yet- so he has to lay back and fit into the offense. He turned the ball over five times against Texas A&M-CC, Gonzaga has more athleticism, speed, and length to disrupt the sophomore guard/forward. How will he play against top talent?

Another reason a week off might not be the best for the Vols is Jordan Bowden, and Lamonte Turner have yet to settle into the season. I’m giving credit where credit is due, Bowden played a really good game against the Islanders. He finished with 14 points and provided a scoring spark off the bench. Bowden can be that type of scorer, but he needs more time to gel with his new role.

Speaking of Lamonte Turner, he is still nursing that shoulder injury. Everyone knows about the game changer Turner can be, however, it hasn’t been there this season. He is shooting just 20 percent from deep and is forcing a lot of shots. Which is something we aren’t used to seeing since he shot nearly 40 percent from the three-point line last season.

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I’m not saying the Vols can’t win the game. They very well could, and this article is for nothing. However, I think Rick Barnes would feel more comfortable about his team’s chances with at least another game under their belts. Again, this could be a moot point if Grant Williams can’t be stopped in typical Grant Williams fashion.

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