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Tennessee vs. Louisiana Lafayette: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

By TJ Miller

KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 21: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks to the basket against Deaundrae Ballard #24 of the Florida Gators in the second half of a game at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 21, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 62-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 21: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks to the basket against Deaundrae Ballard #24 of the Florida Gators in the second half of a game at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 21, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 62-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee Basketball will look to avoid its first loss of the season when it goes up against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Here’s a look at the matchup.

TV schedule: Friday, Nov. 9, 7:00 p.m. ET. SECN+

Arena: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN

Tennessee and Louisiana face off Friday night both looking to move to 2-0 on the season.

No. 6 Tennessee cruised to an easy 86-41 win over D-II Lenoir Rhyne for its first win of the season. All five starters reached double-digit point totals and Coach Rick Barnes squad allowed just 11 points in the 2nd half. The Volunteers return its top 6 scorers from a 2017-18 team that won a share of the SEC regular season. With that said, they will face far more of a challenge playing against a Louisiana team that captured a conference title of their own with a 27-7 record last season.

Despite losing three of its top four scorers, this year’s Louisiana certainly showed they it can still score plenty of points securing a 121-80 win over University of the Virgin Islands (NAIA). Louisiana enjoyed a stellar outside shooting night as they shot 14 of 24 (58%) from three-point range.  If the Ragin’ Cajuns want any chance at pulling off the big upset, they may need another spectacular shooting night.

This will be no easy task given the stodgy defense of Tennessee. Coach Barnes’ team ranked 6th in Adj-D per kenpom last season and held opponents to just 31% from 3pt. Tall, lengthy guards paired with mobile big men gives UT the ability to switch at will and not lose a step. There’s not a player on this team that looks to take a possession off on this end of the court. These qualities are major reasons why Tennessee had such success last season.

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On the offensive side, the Volunteers bring tremendous balance. Obviously it helps bringing back the 2018 SEC player of the year in Grant Williams.  The 6’7 junior is smart, physical, and extremely unselfish. Coach Barnes loves to play through Williams, but there’s no forcing the issue. Williams has plenty of help with Admiral Schofield, Jordan Bone, and Jordan Bowden surrounding the big fella. All three are comfortable with the ball in their hands and equally capable of scoring in spurts. And don’t forgot about 6’11 Kyle Alexander who gives the group a rim protector and reliable rebounding.

There is also the emergence of 6’6 french born Yves Pons. The sophomore has impressed early with a bouncy skill-set. Also, last year’s super 6th man Lamonte Turner is likely to return after sitting out Tuesday’s opener.

For Louisiana, a heroic effort from JaKeenan Gant is a must. The 6’8 senior, who played two years as a Missouri Tiger, averaged 13.7 ppg and 2.3 bpg last season for the Ragin’ Cajuns and has quite the highlight tape consisting almost exclusively of alley-oop dunks. Coach Bob Marlin prefers a faster tempo and likes his guys to get out into transition whenever possible where the tremendous athleticism of Gant can shine.

Point guard Marcus Stroman, another high major transfer, will be tasked with helping his team find fast break buckets without turning the ball over in excess amounts. Look for Louisiana to work to free up Malik Marquetti and Cedric Russell, who both shot over 40% from 3pt in 2017-18 and combined for 29 points in their opening win this season.

Defensively speaking, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Coach Marlin experiment with some full court pressure in hopes of steering the game away from a half-court battle. Tennessee did struggle with turnovers at times last season and the Ragin’ Cajuns might have a little success with this approach.

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Overall, Louisiana has the talent to stick with Tennessee for a while. But, unless they can build a nice first half lead, an upset on the road against a really solid Tennessee team is unlikely.

Prediction: Tennessee 77 – Louisiana 60 

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