March Madness: 5 reasons Tennessee Vols could lose to Colgate Raiders

1. Colgate can get red-hot shooting.

It’s the biggest reason any team pulls off a huge upset in March Madness. And the Colgate Raiders have that ingredient. If they get red-hot shooting, they are tough to beat, and they are designed to win games with red-hot shooting.

More from Vols Basketball

• Tennessee Volunteers News: Midweek Recap, Food City Center, Students Back & More
• Tennessee Basketball: Which teams have the Volunteers never beaten?
• Former Tennessee Vols’ Star Grant Williams Dominated Game 4 of ECF
• 10 best Tennessee basketball NBA careers ever
• Tennessee Basketball: Phillips in Transfer Portal, New Transfers Join Vols

Ever since that winning streak that we mentioned has begun, Colgate has been the best three-point shooting team in the nation. They hit over nine three-pointers a game and have shot nearly 39 percent on the season.

Their starters alone make over seven and a half a game, and after a week of rest, they can run those starters for longer minutes than usual against the Vols. As a result, you could see lots more three-point shots being taken.

If Colgate keeps up its hot shooting from the end of the regular season, this is going to be a game. After all, as much as Rick Barnes likes to focus on defense, great offense beats great defense in basketball every single time.

Colgate has great offense. The only response will be for the Vols to match it. Now, they do have an inside game that the Raiders will not be able to stop no matter what. But what happens if Colgate matches every inside shot by the Vols with a three-pointer on their end?

Three is better than two, and that’s what makes this a dangerous game. Colgate could end up shooting lights out, and the fact that they have really tall guys, as we mentioned before, who can take those shots, makes it only more likely that they will be a dangerous out. Simply put, their team is designed for a March Madness upset. One good day will allow them to pull it off.