The first regular-season meeting between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Vanderbilt Commodores is finally here, and the in-state rivals are ready for an undeniable showdown.
While Vandy may be the ranked team and Rick Barnes' Tennessee squad may be rocky (Top) at times, one of the Commodores' biggest weaknesses could highlight one of the Vols' biggest strengths, possibly even leading to an upset win for UT.
'Dores can't rebound on defense, Vols dominate on offensive glass
Over the last five games, the Commodores have ranked in the bottom seventh percentile for defensive rebounds, averaging fewer than 20 DREB per matchup.
On the other end of the court, the Volunteers have dominated the offensive glass, ranking in the 100th percentile for offensive rebounds and averaging a whopping 15.8 OREB per game.
In other words, Vanderbilt is really, really bad at preventing opponents from getting second-chance opportunities. Meanwhile, Tennessee is really, really good at getting the ball back after a missed shot and creating those second-chance opportunities on offense.
Freshman forward Nate Ament has led the Vols' rebounding efforts this season, averaging 6.4 per game, and sophomore forward J.P. Estrella has excelled at second-chance scoring, hitting over 69 percent of his put-back efforts.
Tennessee is fresh off a dominant 23-point victory over the Oklahoma Sooners, who defeated the 'Dores just a few weeks ago. In the matchup, the Vols brought down 15 offensive rebounds, holding OU to just 13 rebounds off the defensive glass.
For comparison, when Oklahoma beat Vanderbilt, the Sooners had 20 defensive rebounds, and Vanderbilt secured just 12 rebounds on the offensive end of the court.
This weekend, the Volunteers and the No. 19 Commodores are scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 21, and the SEC matchup will be broadcast on ESPN.