Busting Brackets
Fansided

SEC Basketball: Key 2018-19 storylines for Tennessee at Florida

By Jason Burgess

KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 22: Yves Pons #35 of the Tennessee Volunteers, Brad Woodson #12 of the Tennessee Volunteers, and Kyle Alexander #11 of the Tennessee Volunteers walk off the court after their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 83-64. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 22: Yves Pons #35 of the Tennessee Volunteers, Brad Woodson #12 of the Tennessee Volunteers, and Kyle Alexander #11 of the Tennessee Volunteers walk off the court after their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 83-64. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 09: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 09: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Tennessee needs to stay focused

The first thing to watch in this one concerns the third-ranked Volunteers. So far this season, Tennessee, save for a couple of games has been running roughshod over its competition. They rank in the top-21 nationally in all sorts of categories on both ends of the floor, including scoring margin (21.4), field-goal percentage (51.4), field-goal percentage defense (37.3), three-point field goal percentage defense (28.6), assists per game (20.8), blocks per game (6.2), total turnovers (160), and defensive rebounds per game (29.93).

The sports’ advanced metrics also love the volunteers as they are currently 6th in the NCAA’s NET rankings and 5th at KenPom while ranking 4th and 18th respectively in offensive and defensive efficiency on the site.

A team with four double-digit scorers, led by SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams and senior Admiral Schofield, both averaging at least 18 points per game, and six averaging at least nine points per game that has such gaudy numbers, with its lone loss coming in overtime to the No. 2 team in the country, a win over the No. 1 team in the country, and a chance that challenges within the conference may not come until mid-February, complacency could be an issue. So, keeping an eye on the Volunteers’ intensity in this game and going forward is something Rick Barnes will surely be doing.

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