By Hunt Palmer
Rick Barnes has built one of college basketball’s most consistent programs on Rocky Top.
Over the last eight seasons, Barnes’s Vols are 95-44 in SEC play. That’s a 68 percent clip in a league that just continues to get tougher. Zach Edey and Purdue got Tennessee in the Elite Eight last year. The year before it was FAU in the Sweet 16.
All that’s left for Barnes is to break that barrier down to get Tennessee to its first ever Final Four.
Early on, this team looked the part. The Vols swept the non-conference slate that included Louisville, Baylor, Miami and Illinois.
Life on the road in conference has been bumpy. Tennessee is 3-4 in SEC road games. Losing at Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Auburn is no crime, but Tennessee does need to play better away from Thompson-Boling Arena. They did on Saturday at Texas A&M. They get another chance Tuesday in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers have played better basketball over the last three weeks. LSU played Ole Miss off its feet for 37 minutes, won against South Carolina and at Oklahoma. And the 22-2 run against Florida was impressive to watch.
LSU is a 10-point underdog on its own floor on Tuesday. Tip is set for 8:00.
TENACIOUS D
The identity of the Tennessee program is defense. This team is no exception. The Volunteers are No. 3 in the country in defensive efficiency. They sport the best opposing shooting percentage in the country and rank fourth in points per game allowed. By almost any metric, Tennessee is a Top 10 defense. In total, it’s in the discussion with Houston for the best.
Plus, the Vols slow the game down. They rank No. 302 nationally in pace. The Vols pride themselves on making everything hard. That’s how they held Auburn to 53, Florida to 44 and high-flying Kentucky to 64.
It may behoove LSU to try to run a little bit when the opportunity presents itself, either off of a turnover or a long rebound. When the Vols set that defense, it’s tough sledding. Is Curtis Givens ready to understand when to push and when to slow down? That’s a big question mark.
Kentucky made 12-of-24 threes in their win over Tennessee. Vanderbilt got 21 points off of turnovers. It can be done, but it’s tough.
SANDWICH SPOT
This could be a tricky emotional spot for the Vols. They went on the road to a sold-out Reed Arena and beat Texas A&M on Saturday. This coming weekend, the hated Alabama Crimson Tide comes to Knoxville in what should be an electric environment.
Tuesday’s game is a late tip in what will be a half-full Maravich Center. That may be an advantage for LSU.
We’ll see how much intensity Tennessee plays with early in the game.
RIDING WITH ROOKIES
Matt McMahon has decided to play the kids down the stretch. Jordan Sears played 10 minutes last week and 11 on Saturday. Givens is logging north of 25 minutes every game now. Same with Vyctorius Miller.
In the front court, Robert Miller is really coming on. He played great at Arkansas two weeks ago and was 6-for-8 from the floor Saturday against Florida. He also stepped out and made a couple of threes.
Daimion Collins is dealing with a shoulder injury that isn’t going away. Corey Chest’s back has been an issue for a couple of weeks.
In an age where most teams play very old lineups, LSU is really leaning on its freshmen in the country’s toughest league.
