Rick Barnes’ Tennessee basketball team is Andy Katz’s “Team of the Week” after the Vols decimated both of their SEC opponents by a combined 39 points this week.
Tennessee held firm on a two-game home stand this week with a 19-point win over the Florida Gators on Tuesday and a 20-point win over the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.
The Vols battled through two neck-and-neck road games the previous week with a loss to Mississippi State and a win against Georgia. This week, though, Tennessee dismantled the competition.
Katz’s Team of the Week pick came through the NCAA’s official March Madness social media account:
🏆 Weekly Awards from @TheAndyKatz 🏆
Player of the Week: Zach Edey
Team of the Week: Tennessee pic.twitter.com/DBZWM3Syjw— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 22, 2024
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Tennessee’s offense pulled through for the Vols this week behind the play of Jonas Aidoo and Dalton Knecht.
The Vols’ offense is averaging 79.7 points per game this season but surpassed that in both wins this week (85 against Florida, 91 against Alabama). Knecht averaged 32 points per game last week with a 39-point showing against the Gators and a 25-point game against the Crimson Tide. Aidoo, on the other hand, threw up 19 points in both games at home last week.
Aidoo and Knecht’s success works hand in hand. Knecht’s ability to draw the attention of the defense is propped up by the fact that Aidoo’s newfound offensive scoring ability gives Tennessee much better spacing on the court. Defenses have to worry about Knecht and Aidoo with the ball while scorers such as Zakai Zeigler and Santiago Vescovi still roam around the perimeter waiting for an opening.
Tennessee’s offense has been operating very efficiently this week and the proof is in the pudding. The Vols average 44.8 percent from the field but hit 51.7 percent against Florida and 48.5 percent against Alabama.
Tennessee will now have to wait a week before their next game, though. An open date in the middle of the week means that the Vols’ next contest will be against Vanderbilt next Saturday night in Nashville at 6:00 p.m. ET.
