Tennessee basketball dropped from its No. 1 ranking in the new AP Poll. The Vols dropped to No. 6 in the rankings after losing to Florida last week and going 1-1 in the first full week of SEC play.
The Vols will look to continue building positive momentum after its win over Texas with Georgia coming to town. The Bulldogs are the best they have been in decades, coming to Knoxville with a 14-2 record and matching Tennessee's 2-1 conference record.
Despite Georgia's impressive record and earning a spot in the top 25, Tennessee comes into the game as a big favorite. The Vols are 11.5-point favorites at the time of this writing. The over/under is set at 133.5 points.
Getting back on track
Tennessee has struggled in the past two SEC games. The Vols survived on the road against a good Texas team, but they look very different from the team that blew out Arkansas in the SEC opener.
This week, Tennessee has to focus on getting back on track, and it starts with a home game against Georgia. The Bulldogs won't be a cakewalk, but there's no reason why Tennessee can't win this game by double digits.
Tennessee's offense has to work through the struggles it has faced in the past two games. It starts with Tennessee's leading scorer, Chaz Lanier. He was benched against Texas for not taking three-point shots, which Rick Barnes was very open about in his postgame press conference.
The Vols also have to return to playing the physical style of basketball Barnes is known for instilling in his best teams. Tennessee has looked really good when it is the more physical team and really bad when it is not the more physical team.
Expect the Vols to bounce back against Georgia and return to playing the style of basketball it has shown earlier in the year. The Vols return home so that will help in getting back on track.
Tennessee has to be the most physical team on its schedule this week if it wants to finish the week 2-0. It starts against Georgia. The Vols and Bulldogs are scheduled to tip off at 8:00 PM ET on SEC Network.