Welcome back to the Road to Phoenix. For the next month, I will be previewing as many teams as possible in an attempt to help your bracket survive past the first weekend. Next up, the Tennessee Volunteers.
From: Andrew Ferguson (Tennessee Athletics)
Season Outlook
After being "eliminated" from the SEC Regular Season Title conversation, the Vols have crept back into second place, only a game behind Alabama. Outside of conference play, Tennessee had one of the hardest schedules in the country. They beat down Illinois at home. UT also went on the road and handled Wisconsin early in the season. They went to Maui and had a tough time, dropping games to both Kansas and Purdue. The final game of their out of conference schedule was a road loss at UNC, where Dalton Knecht got hurt mid-game.
The Volunteers boast a tough schedule, but have weathered the storm and will likely be a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
From: Andrew Ferguson (Tennessee Athletics)
Strengths
As is par for the course, Tennessee hangs their hat on the defensive end. UT has the 5th best defense according to KenPom, and is 2nd in the SEC in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. Opponents are shooting just north of 30% from deep. You can definitely get hot from the perimeter, but once you take a step inside the three-point line, it gets very hard to score. Tennessee opponents shoot just 43% from inside the arc, sixth best in the country. The defensive anchors include Zakai Ziegler on the perimeter and Josiah Jordan-James at the rim. Rick Barnes has yet another elite defensive squad.
Remember in the UNC preview when I said R.J. Davis is one of the two best guards in the country? The other one resides in Knoxville. His name? Dalton Knecht. Knecht is the best pure scorer in the country. Knecht also has one of the best stories in college basketball right now. Coming out of high school, he had little to no offers, and elected to go to Northeastern, a community college. After showing his scoring prowess, he transferred to the D1 level at Northern Colorado. After two years in Colorado, he hit the portal. A lot was unknown about Knecht, but multiple high level teams wanted him, and he landed at Tennessee.
On the court, Knecht is a flat out killer. The guard averages 20 ppg paired with elite efficiency. The media talks about college basketball lacking star power and recognizable faces. If you want star power, turn on a Tennessee basketball game and watch the show. Knecht is the most exciting player in the sport, capable of 40 on any given night. He has more 30 point games than single digit scoring games. He can go right or left, and when he gets to the rim, watch out because he can dunk on anyone. Dalton Knecht is one of the most exciting players in the country, and is ready to show the country what he can do on the offensive end.
Weaknesses
Outside of Knecht, the Volunteers do not have a lot of scoring. Just two other players on the roster average north of 10 ppg. If you can limit Dalton Knecht somehow, it will be quite easy to get stops. Tennessee also does not shoot it very well, with only three players shooting it 35% or better from deep. Just like UT teams of old, there is a good chance they put up a dud offensively, leaving them wide open to get beat in the tournament.
Tennessee's defensive intensity also gets the better of them at times. While they play physical, they do not do it in the same way as teams like Houston. The Vols have no problems fouling, which puts teams on the line quite often. They want to beat you up, not caring if they get in foul trouble. Look at the Duke game in last year's tournament, they were physical all game long, throwing elbows into Duke's players with little hesitation. Games in the NCAA Tournament tend to get called a little more strictly, allowing for teams to get around Tennessee's rugged defense.
From: Brianna Paciorka (News Sentinel)
Tournament Outlook
This is the best team Rick Barnes has had since they lost to Purdue in the Sweet 16. They are fast, athletic, and physical. They have a superstar in Dalton Knecht. Tennessee has all of the makings of a championship level team. The only thing holding them back? The man on the sideline, Rick Barnes. Despite having won everywhere he went, Barnes has only made it to one Final Four. This team is absolutely good enough to go to Phoenix, but I'm in see it to believe it territory with Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers.
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