In-state rivals Tennessee and Vanderbilt will square off for the second time this season on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville. The game will serve as the regular season finale for both teams ahead of the SEC Tournament next week in Nashville.
For Tennessee, it’ll be about defending its home court after taking a win in Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium last month. The Commodores, on the other hand, will be looking to even the series and dish out some revenge in front of the Vols’ home crowd to end their season.
These two teams are nearly inseparable in the major rankings and lists heading into the season finale. For instance, Tennessee is ranked No. 23 in the country while Vanderbilt is one spot behind at No. 24. The Volunteers have a one-game lead on the Commodores in the SEC standings, with Tennessee at 11-6 in conference play and Vanderbilt right behind at 10-7.
The two teams are also in close spots in ESPN’s latest round of college basketball power rankings, but Tennessee takes a slightly bigger edge in that case – key word being slightly. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello has Tennessee ranked at No. 19 and Vanderbilt ranked at No. 21 in his latest power rankings.
“Tennessee played its first game without Nate Ament on Tuesday against South Carolina, and it was a dominant interior performance,” Borzello writes. “J.P. Estrella and Felix Okpara had their way in the paint all night, combining for 42 points and 15 rebounds on 20-for-27 shooting. As a team, the Vols outscored the Gamecocks in the paint, 56-18. Additionally, in Ament’s absence, freshman wing Amari Evans earned his first start of the season, and he contributed at both ends of the floor: seven points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals.”
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After a two-game losing skid, Tennessee got back in the win column with a dominant 78-59 victory over South Carolina on Tuesday night. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, has gone 2-1 since its loss to Tennessee. The Commodores got wins over Georgia and Ole Miss but fell to Kentucky.
“Vanderbilt got a much-needed win in overtime at Ole Miss on Tuesday, after three losses in four games and before a road trip to Knoxville for Saturday’s season finale,” Borzello writes. “The Commodores’ defense has fallen off markedly over the past few weeks, allowing at least 1.06 points per possession in eight of nine games. Since February began, they’re 118th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency at BartTorvik, compared to 28th across the entire season. Fortunately, they still have Tyler Tanner, who had a ridiculous 34-point, five-rebound, seven-assist, five-steal statline against the Rebels.”
Tennessee took down Vanderbilt by a score of 69-65 during their Feb. 21 matchup in Nashville. Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie had a game-high 17 points, while freshman Nate Ament added in 13 points and nine rebounds. Ament suffered an injury against Alabama last Saturday and missed Tuesday’s win over South Carolina. His status for the regular-season finale this weekend is unknown at this time.
No. 24 Tennessee will host No. 24 Vanderbilt at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, TN. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live, on-site coverage of the game this weekend.
