Virginia vs Tennessee Basketball Preview
By Josh Burton
After passing their fist true test of the season with flying colors in a 70-60 win over Villanova last Friday, the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team is now 3-0 and heads to The Bahamas for a matchup with #11 Tennessee Thursday night as part of the Baha Mar Hoops - Bahamas Championship. This game is scheduled for a 9:30 pm tip and will air on CBS Sports Network.
About Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC are led by head coach Rick Barnes, in his 10th season. Barnes has a career 810-415 record, including a 206-101 record at Tennessee. This season, Tennessee is 4-0 including a win on the road at Louisville in the first weekend of the season.
Tennessee is a team with a lot of upperclassmen but also a couple new transfers. Five of their top six players are seniors (the sixth is a Junior), with two of their starters being new transfers. They line up:
G - #5 Zakai Zeigler (5’9” Senior, 15.5 points and 7.8 assists per game hitting 47.6% from 3-point range)
G - #2 Chaz Lanier (6’4” Covid Senior, North Florida transfer, 13.8 points per game hitting 50% from 3-point range)
G - #15 Jahmai Mashack (6’4” Senior, 7.8 points per game)
F - #7 Igor Milicic Jr. (6’10” Senior, Charlotte transfer, 14 points and 6.3 rebounds per game)
F - #34 Felix Okpara (6’11” Junior, Ohio State transfer, 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game)
Wahoo fans should remember Milicic, who started his career at UVA before transferring to Charlotte after his first year. Fans and players aren’t the only ones familiar with Igor. He also played under current UVA head coach Ron Sanchez while Ron was coaching Charlotte.
6’3” Senior guard Jordan Gainey also plays a key role for the Volunteers off the bench, averaging 11 points per game.
Guarding the Guards
Tennessee’s attack begins with the very talented guard group. Zeigler is viewed as one of the best lead guards in the country while Lanier is a bucket getter capable of scoring from just about anywhere on the court. To match up, I’m expecting the Hoos to use a lineup including both Dai Dai Ames and Andrew Rohde for heavy minutes.
Rise of Rohde
Speaking of Rohde, maybe no better time to reinsert him into the lineup than coming off maybe his best performance as a Hoo last Friday against Villanova. After having set out the previous game, Rohde came off the bench and put up 13 points (3-5 from 3) 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Rohde looked more comfortable in a role where he wasn’t expected to be the primary ball handler and played with a lot of confidence. His new found shot making ability will be something to monitor going forward. The more of a shooting threat he is, the easier it becomes to play him alongside Ames and the better the Virginia offense will be.
Long Range Spike
Rohde isn’t the only Hoo capable of knocking down shots. As a team, UVA is currently fourth in the entire country hitting 44.6% from deep. With that, their 3-point rate is currently good for 75th in the country, a far cry from last year's 294th ranking. So far both the new offense that was hyped all season and the reputations of incoming players has matched the hype and should be monitored as one of the biggest storylines of the season going forward.
Valuing the Possession
The Hoos have had trouble with turnovers early in the season. They currently rank 225th in turnover percentage. Part of the issues could stem from so many new pieces being worked in and could come down as they continue to gel, but it is still a concerning data point that needs to be monitored and adjusted for going forward. Tennessee boasts one of the best defenses in the country and has no problem playing an aggressive physical style that can feast on the opportunities if the Hoos aren’t sound with the ball. Limiting turnovers will be critical for any chance at success in this one.
Quick Turnaround
As part of this year's multi-team event (MTE), there will be a second game played Friday night. The time and matchup will depend on the results from Thursday's other game, but the Hoos would either play #13 Baylor or #22 St. Johns.
With every other team in the field being ranked, this should be an excellent opportunity for the Hoos to pick up a marquee win. How are you feeling about what you’ve seen so far? Be sure to join the Locker Room Access pregame show, starting at 9 pm Thursday.
(Featured Image Credit: Josie Drumheller/UVA Athletics)