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It’s not often that a team tied for first in the SEC standings in March has any added pressure to cope with before the SEC Tournament.
But 16th-ranked Tennessee is 0-4 against Georgia under 3rd-year-coach Rick Barnes since he took charge in 2015.
The Bulldogs will travel to Knoxville on Saturday as they look to take both games from the Volunteers this year for the third consecutive season. The Bulldogs stifled Rick Barnes’ men, at home, when the two teams last met in mid-February, 73-62.
Tennessee’s Season
Since then, Tennessee has gone on to win their last three games, but Saturday’s match-up will represent a difficult test for them before the SEC Tournament begins.
The Volunteers, tied for first in the SEC standings, will be looking to finish their season on a four-game win streak. They have four players averaging double-digit points on the season, and they’ve only lost back-to-back games once.
"We can still get better. And we have to. This time of year, that's got to be your goal."https://t.co/mTxCNxWa4j
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) March 2, 2018
Georgia’s Season
While Georgia’s season has been mired with inconsistency, the Bulldogs have also managed to beat Florida and LSU twice.
Mark Fox’s team started the season 7-1, but since then has lost three straight games on two occasions. They are also coming off a one-point home loss to Texas A&M on Wednesday.
However, senior power forward, Yante Maten, is the SEC’s leading scorer and has averaged 21 points in the Bulldogs’ 16 wins this season. The 6-foot-8 senior out of Pontiac, Michigan is averaging only 17 points in their 13 losses, and he’s shooting a considerably lower 42 percent from the field in those games.
Fox and his players will want to end an underwhelming season with a victory against a familiar foe.
Game Information: Tip-off Saturday from Knoxville is at 6 p.m.
