No. 16 Tennessee to host unranked Bulldogs in SEC matchup

The No. 16 Tennessee Volunteers (13-4, 6-4 conf.) will host the unranked Georgia Bulldogs (12-6, 5-6) in an SEC matchup with tipoff at 8 p.m. at the Thompson-Boiling Arena.

Both teams are coming off of a win in their prior games, with Georgia beating Vanderbilt 73-70 at home and Tennessee winning 82-71 on Kentucky’s home court.

The Vols are looking to build off of their win and bounce back as a whole. The program was at one point ranked No. 6, but has fallen considerably due to tough losses against both lower-ranked and unranked teams.

Tennessee’s previous win against Kentucky had some standout performances, with freshmen Keon Johnson and Jaden Spring combining for 50 points. The pair scored 27 and 23, respectively.

🌶🌶🌶@iamkeonjohnson is your SEC Freshman of the Week

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) February 8, 2021

Georgia, while unranked, have taken wins off of other SEC teams this season and are looking to extend their current three-game win streak. Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes had praise for the transition play of Georgia, as well as their point guards.

Georgia’s offense has looked strong during their winning stretch. Since the 83-59 loss to South Carolina on Jan. 27, the team has put up scores of 71, 91 and 73 against their SEC counterparts in Ole Miss, Auburn and Vanderbilt, respectively.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Sophomore Sahvir Wheeler accounted for a major part of the Georgia offense during their current win streak, leading the team in assists for all three games and points for two. He’ll have to keep his performance up for a win against the Volunteers tonight.

Springer from Tennessee will look to continue his dominance, leading the Volunteers with 10.5 points per game. He also averages 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while shooting a 49.6 field goal percentage.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

The Tennessee defense makes their own opportunities. Ranked No. 19 in the country in turnovers, the Vols are looking to capitalize against the turnover-prone Bulldogs, who have turned over the ball on 23.1 percent of their possessions.

Toumani Camara will have to establish dominance in the paint for Georgia. Camara leads the Bulldogs with 7.2 rebounds a game, but will probably have a tougher time tonight against the Volunteers.