Tennessee Basketball: 3 reasons why Vols will be tourney team in 2019-20

4 of 4

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – FEBRUARY 09: Lamonte Turner #1 of the Tennessee Volunteers shoots the ball against the Florida Gators at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 09, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

3. Impact of Lamonte Turner

Lamonte Turner has already been mentioned, but let’s take a deeper look at just how good he can be this year. Turner had the second-most assists per game last season, behind Jordan Bone. He also took the most threes of any player on the team. They didn’t fall often, as he shot only 32% from beyond the arc, but clearly, Rick Barnes gave him the green light to shoot often.

Poor shooting aside, he still has an option inside with Jordan-James, who will be able to get to the hoop as an oversized combo guard. Pair this with Jordan Bowden getting more chances to shoot with Grant Williams gone, and Turner could become more of a passing guard if need be.

Both Bowden and Turner had impressive numbers in the National Championship last year. Bowden had 16 points off the bench in their Sweet Sixteen game, impressively going 4 of 6 from three. Turner was impressive as well, scoring 15 points and playing 41 minutes in the OT thriller Tennessee would eventually lose.

There is no reason to believe either of these players will regress. With Turner going into his fifth year for the Volunteers after redshirting his freshman year he will be the leader of this team going forward.

Next. Top 25 impact JUCO transfers for 2019-20. dark

Tennessee fans should level their expectations after such a great season, however, there is very little chance they do not make the National Championship this season. They may not make the Sweet Sixteen again, but to think they will miss out entirely is ridiculous. There is too much talent and a great coach. Overall, my prediction is that Tennessee will finish 4th in the SEC behind Kentucky, Florida and Auburn.

Home/Tennessee Volunteers