Tennessee basketball: How Kentucky, Duke and LSU developments affected Vols season Wednesday

Tennessee basketball’s season was affected by three key developments Wednesday. Here’s how the Blue Devils, Tigers and Wildcats all affected the Volunteers.

After an ugly win over the Vanderbilt Commodores to rebound from a bad loss to the Kentucky Wildcats, things were up in the air for Tennessee basketball heading into Wednesday. But a series of key developments have all potentially altered the Vols’ season in a way nobody would have expect.

An LSU Tigers loss to the Florida Gators, Zion Williamson’s injury in the Duke Blue Devils’ loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels and a Kentucky Wildcats injury all had a major effect on the Vols and Rick Barnes. They all show the type of twisted luck that has skewed in UT’s favor this season outside of the easy schedule until now.

Before last night, LSU and Tennessee Saturday seemed like a game to decide the SEC Regular Season Championship. Both had one conference loss, and the Vols would desperately need to win given the fact that their schedule is so much tougher to end the year.

However, LSU’s loss to Florida at home now changes things. Already ahead of them by a game now, should the Vols beat the Tigers on Saturday, they will almost certainly finish ahead of them in the SEC standings despite their brutal schedule. Meanwhile, should they lose, both teams have two road games left against Top 50 RPI teams. So many things could still happen.

But then there is the wildcard of Kentucky. The Wildcats are easily back in play for the SEC regular season championship, and they just blew out Tennessee basketball. Here’s the problem for them, though: senior forward Reid Travis is banged up and expected to miss two weeks.

Although PJ Washington is the star, Travis is the veteran. He had 11 points against the Vols last Saturday along with 8 rebounds and was a key component in shutting down Grant Williams. It looks like he’s going to miss the game in Knoxville next weekend, which gives them a huge advantage.

So now, if the Vols beat the Tigers on the road Saturday, all they have to do in their final four games is split their two road games against the Ole Miss Rebels and Auburn Tigers and win both home games against a Mississippi State Bulldogs team that is struggling down the stretch and a short-handed Kentucky team. Heck, if they just win both home games they could still lock it up.

More from All for Tennessee

• How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
• Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
• Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
• Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
• Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay

Even if they lose to LSU, doing those things could still lock up the title for them provided the Tigers lose both their road games at the Alabama Crimson Tide and at Florida, who just beat them. Simply put, LSU’s loss and Reid’s injury are major breaks for the Vols that put them in prime position to almost lock up the conference title this weekend.

Outside of Kentucky and LSU, though, there’s another story that affects these guys on the national stage. Duke just lost at home to North Carolina after a freak injury to Zion Williamson that is making national news. All of a sudden, UT and Kentucky could be climbing up the rankings again with that No. 1 overall seed back within striking distance.

But that’s not the only thing that makes this interesting. Williamson could decide to sit out the rest of the year and think about his NBA prospects. If he does play, he may just focus on not getting hurt. And even if he doesn’t this could be in the back of his mind. No matter how you slice it, this injury is likely to affect the Blue Devils, and that could give the Vols another chance at the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Simply put, two injuries and the results of two games all had huge impacts on Tennessee basketball and Rick Barnes Wednesday. Of course, little of this matters if they just do their part and keep winning. But Wednesday’s developments make the Vols’ road a lot easier to an SEC title and No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.