The Official #6 Tennessee @ #9 Arizona Game Thread, 10:30 PM ET, ESPN2

#1
YankeeVol

YankeeVol

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#1
#6 Tennessee Volunteers: 9-1 (0-0 SEC)
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#9 Arizona Wildcats: 9-1 (1-1 PAC 12)
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GAME 11 | TENNESSEE at ARIZONA - Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 | 10:31 p.m. ET | Tucson, Ariz. | McKale Memorial Center (14,545)

Line: UT +3.5
O/U: 148.5

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Arizona Game Notes

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#2
#2
THE SERIES

• Tennessee leads its all-time series with Arizona, 4-1, dating to 1956.
• Last December, the Vols upset sixth-ranked Arizona, 77-73, in Knoxville. See Page 4 for a recap.
• Tennessee also defeated Arizona in its only previous trip to Tucson on Dec. 23, 1983. The Vols shot .556 (25 of 45) in that win.
• Vols head coach Rick Barnes owns a 2-8 career record against Arizona but is 34-24 all-time against current members of the Pac-12 Conference.
• Second-year Tennessee assistant coach Justin Gainey was an assistant coach at Arizona from 2018-20.
• Tennessee sophomore Jahmai Mashack's older brother, Kwesi Mashack, was a cornerback with the Arizona football program from 2014-17.
• UT senior Uroš Plavšić returns to Arizona after spending the 2018-19 season redshirting at Arizona State in Tempe.
 
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#3
#3
SCOUTING REPORT

• Tennessee has never recorded three wins over ranked teams before Christmas.
• UT's bench is giving the Vols 24.1 points per game despite the squad being regularly shorthanded.
• Senior guard Santiago Vescovi is five points shy of 1,000 for his career.
• In addition to leading the Vols in scoring at 11.6 ppg, Julian Phillips ranks third among all DI major-conference freshmen nationally in offensive rebounding, with 2.8 per game.
• In only 10 games, Julian Phillips has drawn 45 fouls—that total leads the team. Zakai Zeigler isn't far behind, drawing 39 fouls.
• Senior big man Uroš Plavšić is averaging 9.0 ppg over UT's last three outings while shooting 12 of 14 (.857) from the field.
• As this home-and-home series draws to a close, Tennessee on Tuesday announced a new home-and-home series with Big Ten stalwart Illinois, set to begin next December in Knoxville.
 
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#4
#4
DEFENSE TRAVELS

• Saturday's showdown features KenPom's No. 1-rated offense vs. KenPom's No. 1-rated defense.
• The Volunteers own the best adjusted defensive efficiency in the country per Ken Pom, allowing only 81.3 points per 100 possessions.
• Seven times this season, the Vols have held their opponents to 50 points or less. Tennessee has now done that 27 times during the Barnes era (2015-present).
• Of 363 Division I teams, 341 are shooting 40 percent or better from the field this season. Tennessee has held eight of its 10 opponents this season below 33 percent shooting.
• Tennessee has yet to trail at the break this season and is outscoring its opponents 34.1 ppg to 22.4 ppg (+11.7 ppg) in first-half action.
• The leading scorer for Tennessee's opponents is averaging just 15.1 points so far this season. The high is 23 by Colorado's KJ Simpson.
 
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#5
#5
ABOUT ARIZONA

• Arizona (9-1) enters Saturday's contest having won three straight games—including an 89-75 win over No. 14 Indiana last Saturday in Las Vegas.
• The Wildcats have already recorded three wins over ranked opponents this season, having defeated No. 10 Creighton, No. 14 Indiana and No. 17 San Diego State—all at neutral sites. Their lone loss this season came at Utah on Dec. 1, 81-66.
• Arizona leads all of Division I in scoring offense (92.0 ppg), field-goal percentage (.547) and assists per game (21.5) this season.
• Junior forward Azuolas Tubelis, a 2022 first-team All-Pac-12 selection, enters Saturday averaging 20.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
• Redshirt junior center Oumar Ballo, who averaged just 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season, is averaging 18.1 points and 9.4 rebounds through 10 games this year while shooting .747 from the field.
• Tubelis was a preseason first-team All-Pac-12 selection, while junior guard Kerr Kriisa and junior guard Pelle Larson earned second-team nods.
• Fifth-year senior guard Courtney Ramey, a Texas transfer, scored a game-high 18 points during the Longhorns' 52-51 win over Tennessee last season.
• Arizona has won 24 straight home games dating to the 2020-21 season, which is tied as the fourth-longest active home win streak in the nation.
• Tennessee senior guard Santiago Vescovi has a history playing with two players on Arizona's roster. Vescovi played at the NBA Academy Latin America with Ballo, while he played with Kriisa at a Basketball Without Borders camp.
• Tennessee sophomore guard Jahmai Mashack's older brother, Kwesi Mashack, played cornerback with Arizona football from 2014-17.
 
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#11
#11
TheMookieMonster said:
I have zero expectations for tonight considering the unhealthy state of our roster. I expect a loss, so if we come out with a win I’ll be over the moon. Just play hard.
Click to expand...
Same here too. A healthy roster maybe a little bit different expectations for tonight, but this a game where JJJ is needed. Just hopefully it isn’t the debacle like it was against Colorado.
 
#15
#15
Three 7 footers and avg scoring 97 points.

We have 3 top players not up to par.

We got no shot.
 
#19
#19
508mikey said:
whats wrong with him ?
Click to expand...

He had a surgical knee procedure during off-season. I can’t recall when but the recent MRIs and other tests show NO structural damage, etc. However, JJJ says his knee is either sore or “doesn’t feel right.” He’s tried to play but has discomfort.

It’s a different injury but reminds me of Lamonte Turner’s last yr w the Vols. He had a shoulder pain, however, there wasn’t any structural damage but he was in pain.

I hate if for JJJ but not sure if time is the answer or if it’s something that will ever go away.
 
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#20
#20
So everyone will play except for JJJ but two won't be quite 100%... Not expecting a win, but if we come to play and don't roll over, we can keep this close. Yes they are averaging high scoring numbers, but look at their schedule... they have not hit a defense yet like ours. All depends on whether we drive to the basket, make our regular shots, minimize stupid turnovers, and make our foul shots, which a top 10 team should at this point.
 
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#21
#21
vol94 said:
He had a surgical knee procedure during off-season. I can’t recall when but the recent MRIs and other tests show NO structural damage, etc. However, JJJ says his knee is either sore or “doesn’t feel right.” He’s tried to play but has discomfort.

It’s a different injury but reminds me of Lamonte Turner’s last yr w the Vols. He had a shoulder pain, however, there wasn’t any structural damage but he was in pain.

I hate if for JJJ but not sure if time is the answer or if it’s something that will ever go away.
Click to expand...
He needs some of the Bammer “Magic Juice”
 
#22
#22
volinbama256 said:
So everyone will play except for JJJ but two won't be quite 100%... Not expecting a win, but if we come to play and don't roll over, we can keep this close. Yes they are averaging high scoring numbers, but look at their schedule... they have not hit a defense yet like ours. All depends on whether we drive to the basket, make our regular shots, minimize stupid turnovers, and make our foul shots, which a top 10 team should at this point.
Click to expand...
All the above plus...stay out of foul trouble...play outstanding low post defense...and shoot lights out. I hope Phillips is well rested and ready for the test. CLEARLY...it will be our toughest test of the season so far.
 
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#23
#23
vol94 said:
He had a surgical knee procedure during off-season. I can’t recall when but the recent MRIs and other tests show NO structural damage, etc. However, JJJ says his knee is either sore or “doesn’t feel right.” He’s tried to play but has discomfort.

It’s a different injury but reminds me of Lamonte Turner’s last yr w the Vols. He had a shoulder pain, however, there wasn’t any structural damage but he was in pain.

I hate if for JJJ but not sure if time is the answer or if it’s something that will ever go away.
Click to expand...

Turner had thoracic outlet syndrome, which definitionally is a structural issue
 
#24
#24
Watching the Zag Bama game with all the foul calls when driving to the basket... I won't ever understand why Barne's teams just stay on the perimeter and never drive to the basket to pick up easy fouls/foul shots and get the other team in foul trouble... If Arizona has big men, then this is exactly what we need to be doing to draw fouls and get them in trouble early... Guess we'll see...
 
#25
#25
volinbama256 said:
Watching the Zag Bama game with all the foul calls when driving to the basket... I won't ever understand why Barne's teams just stay on the perimeter and never drive to the basket to pick up easy fouls/foul shots and get the other team in foul trouble... If Arizona has big men, then this is exactly what we need to be doing to draw fouls and get them in trouble early... Guess we'll see...
Click to expand...

Coach Barnes must know a little bit about what he’s doing. His Vols beat Gonzaga by 19 on a neutral court whereas the mighty Tide is about to lose to them in Birmingham.
 
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