March Madness: Five opposing players to watch for Tennessee Vols’ first weekend of 2022 NCAA Tournament
1. David Roddy – Colorado State Rams
Forward; Junior; 6’6″ 255 pounds
By far the best player in the first weekend of March Madness that Tennessee basketball could potentially face, David Roddy is the one player on the Colorado State Rams the Vols need to worry about. His unique size combined with his incredible all-around talent make him a player who will be difficult to handle.
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Think of somebody like Admiral Schofield. Roddy is averaging 19.4 points a game and over seven and a half rebounds, both of which lead the team. Playing the three and sometimes the four, he also averages over two assists, one steal and one block a game.
Even scarier is that he is a deadly three-point shooter who can get red-hot from outside. Roddy averages one and a half three-pointers a game, shooting an incredible 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. As a result, he could be a matchup problem for the Vols, he is simply a good player, and he brings the three-point shooting factor.
Taking all of that into account, of course he tops this list. Isaiah Stevens is the one other player on CSU who averages double figures, but again, Kennedy Chandler should handle him easily, as that’ll be the point guard matchup. Stevens averages nearly five assists a game.
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Roddy will have to draw attention from James and the post players, and his presence will dictate the lineup Barnes uses. If he’s not smart with how he handles things, the Vols could be exiting March Madness much earlier than they initially planned.