No. 6 Tennessee basketball returns home after a two-game road trip to face No. 23 Georgia on Wednesday night at Food City Center. Read more for a full Tennessee vs Georgia prediction and preview.
After a two-game road trip that ended with a historic loss to the Florida Gators and a gritty win over the Texas Longhorns, Rick Barnes and the Volunteers head back to Knoxville to host the No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs in their fourth SEC game of the season.
Last season in Athens, Georgia led by as many as 11 points in the second half, but No. 5 Tennessee rallied to win 85-79 in front of a sellout crowd at Stegeman Coliseum.
General Information:
Teams: Tennessee (15-1, 2-1) and Georgia (14-2, 2-1)
Tip-Off Time:Â 8 p.m. EST
Watch: SEC Network+
Latest on Georgia basketball:
Georgia basketball has entered the rankings in both the Associated Press and coaches polls for the first time in over 22 years, dating back to March 10, 2003.
The surging Georgia Bulldogs went 2-0 last week, defeating Top 25 opponents Kentucky (82-69) and Oklahoma (72-62). Georgia had not beaten ranked teams in consecutive games since 2007. Georgia now faces the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers in the first of four meetings with current top-10 opponents in the Bulldogs’ next six games.
Tennessee will take on one of the SEC’s biggest freshmen for the second consecutive game.
Freshman forward Asa Newell, who was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season on Monday, leads the Bulldogs with 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. According to the 247Sports Composite, Newell was the nation’s No. 12 prospect. He has scored at least 13 points in all SEC games, including a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double against Ole Miss. In addition, he ranks third in the SEC and 39th nationally in field goal percentage (58.1%).
“He looks really comfortable in college basketball, which is a hard adjustment to make,” Vols’ assistant coach Lucas Campbell said.
The 6’11” forward leads a quartet of Bulldogs averaging double figures. Dakota Leffew (12.4), Silas Demary Jr. (11.9), and De’Shayne Montgomery (11.3) are the final double-digit point contributors in the scoring column.
Tennessee and Georgia have comparable profiles this season.
“They bring a different physicality,” Campbell stated. “That is the main thing we have been hitting. They are a very physical team, and we have to match that physicality.”
Georgia is one of the top offensive-rebounding teams in the country, grabbing 38.7% of missed shots. It also possesses the No. 7 3-point defense, with opponents hitting 28% of 3-pointers. Similarly, Tennessee is seventh in offensive rebound rate at 39.5% and first in 3-point defense, with teams shooting 24.8% from three.
Latest on Tennessee basketball:
After a program-record five-week stint as the top-ranked team in the country, the Tennessee Volunteers fell from the No. 1 spot after a crushing defeat to Florida last week. No. 6 Tennessee basketball climbed back into the win column on Saturday evening in a hard-fought 74-70 victory over the Texas Longhorns.
Standout guard Chaz Lanier continues to try to find his shooting stroke again. After averaging 20.3 points per contest on efficient shooting splits, the North Florida transfer has only scored 10 points, shooting below 30% from the field and below 33% from behind the arc in the last two games versus Florida and Texas. He will be looking to get back on track against the Bulldogs.
Although Lanier had a quiet night, Tennessee found a way to keep grinding away offensively with balance. Four players scored in double digits, led by Zakai Zeigler, who had 16 points and eight assists.
No one was arguably more important to Tennessee than Darlinstone Dubar. Before the contest, the Hofstra transfer had only made one three-pointer in a game this season. He hit three against the Longhorns, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds in just 17 minutes.
Ohio State transfer and center Felix Okpara was also huge, scoring seven points on three-of-five shooting. He also blocked three shots on the defensive end and disrupted shots he could not get his hands on.
Against the Bulldogs, coach Rick Barnes’ team will look to take better care of the ball after turning it over 15 times in their last contest.Â
The Volunteers have had terrific success at home this season, going 9-0 so far. Additionally, Tennessee averages 77.1 points per game, 12.8 higher than Georgia’s (64.3).
Tennessee basketball will look to build momentum and take care of business in a favorable home matchup Wednesday evening as they take on the Georgia Bulldogs at 8 p.m. EST live on SEC Network+.
Tennessee vs Georgia prediction: Volunteers by 12 (77-65)
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