Coming off one of its best wins of the season, Tennessee basketball is back on the road Tuesday night as they prepare to take on LSU in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers are near the bottom of the SEC standings but have played better as of late. Tennessee is eying a one seed in the NCAA Tournament and needs to win this one if they’re going to get it done.
Here’s three things to watch for in the SEC showdown.
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Take Cam Carter And Jordan Sears Out Of The Game
LSU is one of just two SEC teams ranked outside of the top 100 in adjusted offensive efficiency which is a bad formula when facing Tennessee’s top-ranked defense.
The Tigers are heavily dependent on two offensive players, point guard Jordan Sears and shooting guard Cam Carter. Carter, a Kansas State transfer, leads the Tigers with 16.9 points per game. Sears is second with 12.1 points per game. No other healthy Tiger averages over nine points per game.
Both players have high usage rates. Carter’s is higher than anyone on Tennessee’s roster and Sears is a smidge higher than Chaz Lanier to give some perspective. The key for Tennessee defensively is to take these two out of the game.
The good news is Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack are two guys great at doing that. Zeigler will likely draw Sears and Mashack will likely draw Carter.
Can Tennessee Win The Turnover And Rebound Battle?
It’s hard to see LSU’s offense having much success against Tennessee so if they’re going to win this game they likely need more shots. Winning the rebounding and turnover battle is the way to do that.
Only Tennessee should win both of those matchups. LSU has turned the ball over at a high rate and has done a poor job at forcing turnovers. They’re a solid offensive rebounding team but have done a terrible job of defending the glass.
On paper, the Vols should win all these matchups. Tennessee limiting its turnovers would be the area I would particularly prioritize because that’s been an issue for them in a number of games. If Tennessee wins both the turnover and rebounding battle, they’ll win this game.
Will Jordan Gainey Keep His Momentum Rolling?
This one is a bit of a cherry on top for Tennessee. Entering the Texas A&M game, Jordan Gainey was shooting three-of-18 from three-point range in the Vols’ last five games. He missed his first three triples against the Aggies before making two critical triples late.
Let’s see if that sparked Gainey out of his shooting slump and he starts knocking down shots at the clip he was earlier in the season. What’s impressive about Gainey and illustrates his growth from last season is that even when shots weren’t going in, he was finding other ways to score and impact the game.
If he can find his stroke, Tennessee becomes a much more dangerous team and they should roll past the Tigers on Tuesday night.
