Tennessee vs. Kentucky: SEC Showdown

The Tennessee Volunteers have been on a roller coaster ride the last few weeks. A 15-2 start to the season had the Vols ranked in the top 10. Wins against Kansas, Memphis and Mississippi shows that this squad is capable of taking on all challengers regardless of the situation. However, they were caught looking ahead when they played a bad Georgia team back in late January. That loss took some of the wind out of their sales, and they ended up losing the Vandy match-up. They rebounded to win 3 straight against Florida, S. Carolina and LSU, but were again beaten handily by the Commodores. Now they face the number 2 team in the country, and will need to play their best if they plan to win this game.

The Kentucky Wildcats are having a phenomenal year behind freshman sensation John Wall. Wall is clearly a product of the “one and done” rule, and will more than likely be heading to the NBA after this season. He has been a human highlight reel in almost every game he’s played. Averaging 16.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.6 assist as a freshman in the SEC is no small feat. He is destined to be the number 1 pick overall in the 2010 NBA draft, and will most likely be a perennial all-star at the next level.

Kentucky has been a staple in the college basketball world for decades, but they have not achieved greatness since the mid-90’s. Wall has changed all that. DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson have also made huge contributions to the Wildcats success this year. Combined they are averaging over 31 points and 17 rebounds per game. They are arguably the best forward combination in the country, and make it extremely difficult for opposing offenses to penetrate the middle of the lane.

Bruce Pearl and the Volunteers will have to be at their best Saturday on both sides of the ball to compete with Kentucky. They have not faced a team this physical all season, and will need to shoot well from the perimeter to have a chance to pull off the upset. Four year starter Wayne Chism has been the team leader this season for Tennessee. He leads the team in scoring (13.1 ppg) and rebounding (7 rpg)). He has improved his shooting percentage from his junior year by over 2 tenths of a percent, and his free throw percentage is just under 80%. It will take a monster game from Chism, and a solid defensive effort as a team for the Vols to pull out this victory. Scotty Hopson and Tyler Smith round out the double-digit scorers for the Tennessee offense. It is absolutely essential that they contain Wall at the guard position in order to keep this game within arms reach.

This will be an exciting match-up regardless of the pace of play. Both teams have the ability to get up and down the floor, but I believe this will be a defensive showdown that is decided in the final minutes. Tune in Saturday night at 9pm ET as the SEC’s elite fight for top billing in conference.

Related posts:

1. SEC Showdown: Florida vs. Kentucky
2. NCAAB SEC Showdown: Tennessee Volunteers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
3. Tennessee looks for upset against Kentucky Tuesday
4. Kentucky Looks for Revenge Against S. Carolina
5. Top 2 Teams in SEC Battle for Conference Title

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