Tennessee basketball is looking to bounce back from its Tuesday night loss at Kentucky and avenge last month’s loss at Vanderbilt when they host the Commodores in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon.
Vanderbilt’s five-out offensive style gave Tennessee issues in the first meeting while the Vols’ offense is looking to get their shot back.
Here’s three things I’m watching for in the rematch.
More From RTI: Everything Rick Barnes Said Previewing Tennessee Basketball’s Rematch Against Vanderbilt
Tennessee Needs A Sharp Team Defensive Performance
The first Vanderbilt game was perhaps Tennessee’s worst defensive showing of the season as the Commodores scored 76 despite scoring only four points in the final six minutes of the game.
Vanderbilt’s beat Tennessee with a five-out offensive style that doesn’t lean on one player. It’s the same way that both Kentucky and Missouri had offensive success against Tennessee. Those offensive styles force Tennessee’s entire team to be locked in to the scouting report and keeps them from relying on a few defenders to lock down a star.
In the first meeting, Vanderbilt had four different players score in double figures. The Vols need to be locked into the scouting report as a team to slow down a good Commodores offense.
Can Tennessee Flip The Rebounding Numbers?
Vanderbilt is one of the smaller teams not only in the SEC but the entire country this season. But the Commodores have done a fantastic job not letting that keep them from being a solid rebounding team.
They’re not great on the glass but they’ve held their own and been an average rebounding team despite the height disadvantage. In the first matchup, Vanderbilt won the battle on the glass earning a 29-25 rebounding advantage and a more noticeable 18-9 second chance point advantage.
Tennessee doesn’t have to dominate Vanderbilt on the glass but they can’t lose the battle. They need to flip the results from the first game and have more success turning offensive rebounds into points.
If Tennessee Limits Turnovers They Should Bounce Back Offensively
Entering Tuesday night’s game at Kentucky, the Wildcats were the SEC’s worst defensive team in conference only games. But Tennessee’s poor offensive showing in Lexington boosted Kentucky up to 15th.
The good news for Tennessee? Vanderbilt is now in last place. The Commodores have been a horrible field goal defense team with SEC opponents shooting 41% from three-point range and 58% from two.
The one area Vanderbilt excels defensively is forcing turnovers. And Tennessee has had off-and-on turnover issues all season and they have reared their ugly head in recent games. If Tennessee limits turnovers, they should have an offensive bounce back.
