No. 5 Tennessee will open up SEC play this Saturday evening in Knoxville with a contest against No. 22 Ole Miss and head coach Chris Beard.
Tennessee has gone 10-3 over the non-conference slate but will be gearing up for a different challenge entirely when conference play starts on Saturday.
“This is the season now,” Tennessee freshman forward JP Estrella said when talking to the media on Friday morning. “Non-conference play was fun but now SEC play. Everyone is just super excited about it.”
Tennessee’s range of players makes for a diverse start to the SEC season. Some, like Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi, have been in this position before. Others on Tennessee’s roster like Dalton Knecht and Jordan Gainey will be playing their first SEC slate while others such as Tennessee’s four freshmen are playing their first conference schedule for the first time in their careers.
“Well, we got a good group of guys,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said about his team entering SEC play. “They’re gonna work and they’re gonna get better. I mean, I watch ’em — I think all the younger guys are starting to be able to take more from the film room and slowly but surely, I think they’re starting to bring it to the court. The older guys certainly understand that.”
The Vols are set to host the undefeated Ole Miss Rebels this weekend at 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday from Thompson Boling Arena at Food City Center.
“Not only can he spread you out, but they got some guys inside you got to deal with,” Barnes said about Ole Miss on Friday. “And they’ve got two terrific shot blockers. So, again, a lot of credit goes to the players, but again, Coach Beard is – just what I said earlier – is just putting them in a great position to be effective and hard to defend.”
More from RTI: An Overview Of SEC Basketball On The Eve Of Conference Play
Check out both interviews before the game on Saturday below:
Tennessee HC Rick Barnes
Tennessee F J.P. Estrella
