LEXINGTON, Ky. — Tennessee basketball is back in action in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night when they face seven-seed UCLA in the Round of 32.
The Vols are looking to make the Sweet 16 for the third straight year while UCLA is looking to make the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Here’s three things to watch for as Tennessee basketball prepares to face the Bruins in the Round of 32.
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Tennessee Needs To Take Care Of The Basketball
UCLA is solid about everything. They don’t do anything really poorly and they do just one thing really well— turn opponents over.
The Bruins’ 22.7 defensive turnover percentage ranks seventh nationally is the one area they truly excel. UCLA has great ball pressure and has three different players averaging over a steal per game. Tennessee has off-and-on had turnover issues this season but they’ve mostly had control of it in recent games including against Wofford when they turned it over just six times.
But the challenge will be much larger against UCLA. Both teams play a slow pace so possessions will be very valuable. Tennessee can’t afford to turn the ball over a lot in this game. They especially can’t afford to allow UCLA to turn Tennessee’s turnovers into easy transition baskets.
Will Chaz Lanier Get Hot Again?
UCLA does a really strong of defending the rim but does give up a decent number of open midrange and three-point jumpers. That opens up the opportunity for Chaz Lanier to potentially have a hug game for Tennessee.
The super senior sharpshooter got his NCAA Tournament career off to a hot start in the opening round against Wofford, throwing in six three-pointers on his way to a game-high 29 points. Lanier simply has a higher offensive upside than any other Tennessee player.
In a game that figures to be low scoring, Lanier having a big offensive game would be supremely valuable for Tennessee. The senior sharpshooter is fully capable of doing it. The Vols are 20-0 this season in games where Lanier scores 18-plus points. That’s a good formula for Tennessee to knock off UCLA.
Will Tennessee’s Front Court Hold Up?
Tennessee basketball’s backcourt has risen to the occasion throughout the back half of the season. Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack have been Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack, Chaz Lanier broke out of his January slump and six-man Jordan Gainey has stepped up for the Vols over the last month.
But Tennessee’s thin front court has been a bit shaky. Rebounding has been an issue for the Vols while Ole Miss power forward Jaemyn Brakefield gave Tennessee fits in its loss against the Rebels.
UCLA power forward Tyler Bilodeau has a similar game to Brakefield. He can knock down perimeter shots while also being able to put the ball on the floor and score at the basket. Those types of players have given Tennessee issues. Then there’s the 7-foot-3 Aday Mara who dominated Utah State on Thursday. 6-foot-8, 240-pound Eric Dailey is also a good inside scorer.
So the Bruins have multiple effective big men with very different games. Tennessee needs Felix Okpara, Igor Milicic and Cade Phillips to hold their own against UCLA’s front line. That’s both playing defense and on the glass. Anything the group gives Tennessee offensively is just gravy.
