Tennessee basketball begins play at the NCAA Tournament in Lexington on Tuesday night when the Vols face 15-seed Wofford at Rupp Arena.
The Vols are back in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh straight time as they search for their first Final Four appearance in program history. Wofford is in the tournament for the first time since 2019 and like that season, the Terriers are looking to make a run in the dance.
Tennessee is a favorite heading into the game on Thursday. Can they avoid the upset? Here’s a look at the RTI staff picks here.
More From RTI: Wofford Provides A Clear Rebounding Reminder For Tennessee Basketball Entering NCAA Tournament
Ric Butler
While the 2-seed isn’t historically untouchable in first-round games, this one isn’t throwing up any red flags on my radar. I expect Tennessee to roll into Rupp Arena on Thursday evening, handle business, and then get ready for the second round. That being said, let’s dive in.
I’m optimistic on this road for Tennessee because of the Vols’ impressive play in the SEC Tournament. Tennessee took care of Texas and then had two strong showing against two No. 1 teams that are two of ESPN’s three most-picked champions in its bracket challenge. I like what I saw from Tennessee’s guards, Felix Okpara handled a lot of dirty work inside, and I think that’s a recipe for success – especially early on.
One thing to note is that with the slow pace of play today (see Ryan’s prediction), turnovers will be important for Tennessee to manage to not waste its opportunities. If Tennessee isn’t turning the ball over and giving up points off of those turnovers, I don’t see a lot of ways for the Vols to lose this game.
Wofford will have trouble with Tennessee’s defense and I believe the Vols’ three senior guards will show up offensively in some combination. I’m taking Tennessee in a low-risk game.
Prediction: Tennessee 77, Wofford 57
Ryan Schumpert
Wofford has a handful of characteristics that lead to a team pulling an upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers play at a very slow pace, shoot an abundance of three-pointers and are red-hot as of late. Wofford has made 11-plus three-pointers in each of their last three games and they’re doing it at a 40% clip.
Slow the game down, hit a bunch of three-pointers and Tennessee has a slow shooting night? That’s a formula for this game to be close in the final minutes and give the Terriers a chance to pull off the upset. So how does Tennessee keep Wofford from replicating this formula?
The most obvious thing is to make Wofford’s looks from three-point range as bad as possible. That is an area where Tennessee thrives. The Vols have the nation’s best three-point defense and aggressively contests perimeter jump shots. If Wofford doesn’t make double-digit three-pointers they have little chance to win. Tennessee will make it as hard on them as possible to make those shots.
On the other side, Tennessee can limit the variance of the game by getting to and scoring at the basket as well as the three-point line. Wofford is not a good rim protecting team which should open up chances for Zakai Zeigler and Jordan Gainey to make things happen at the basket.
Most importantly, I trust Tennessee’s guards in this game. The Vols have a lot of players that haven’t played in the NCAA Tournament but Zeigler, Gainey and Jahmai Mashack all have and they’ll be key in this game. Tennessee avoids the upset and advances to the Round of 32.
Prediction: Tennessee 72, Wofford 55
