Kansas vs. Tennessee: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
TV schedule: Saturday, January 30, 6:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee
In what is arguably the biggest game of a busy Saturday schedule, the Kansas Jayhawks and Tennessee Volunteers will meet in a duel of top-20 programs in the eighth edition of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
The 15th-ranked Jayhawks (11-5) recently snapped a rare three-game losing streak – one comprised of single-digit road losses at Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Oklahoma – in rather unimpressive fashion, struggling to put away a TCU squad that the Jayhawks rolled over by 31 at the start of the month. In a low-scoring affair, Kansas came out on top, 59-51.
Despite three-point shooting being one of their biggest strengths, the Jayhawks uncharacteristically struggled from long range, going 4-17 (23.5%). Their experience at the charity stripe – another, typical strength – was also just as lackluster, shooting just 56.2% (9-16) on freebies. Instead, Kansas was forced to rely on their inside game – which has actually been their worst area throughout the season – but a 19-39 (48.7%) mark on two-pointers – which translated to a 34-22 edge in points in the paint – was enough to outpace the Horned Frogs.
Just two Jayhawks reached double-digits in David McCormack (15 points, 6-12 2PT, 1-1 3PT) and Ochai Agbaji (13 points, four assists). But where Kansas enjoyed success was on the defensive end, holding TCU to just 0.73 points per possession and abysmal clips of 33.3% (2PT) and 45.5% (FT). Likewise, while the Jayhawks turned the ball over 15 times, they generated a whopping 22 TCU turnovers.
Tennesee (11-3), meanwhile, have also endured recent struggles after a stellar start to their 2020-21 campaign. After beginning the season 6-0 – which was capped by a 20-point romping at Missouri – the Volunteers have gone 4-3 since the start of the calendar year, including home losses to Alabama and Missouri and a 26-point thrashing on the road at Florida. Most recently – just like Kansas – the Volunteers rebounded in unconvincing fashion, scraping by Mississippi State at home on Tuesday, 56-53.
Tennessee’s highly-touted defense – which struggled mightily against Florida and Missouri – was in full display against Mississippi State, holding the Bulldogs to just 35.9% on two-pointers and 23.1% outside, with a mark of 0.82 points per possession. Additionally, the Vols forced 18 turnovers and scored 23 points off of those turnovers.
Where the Vols ran into issues is something that has plagued them in their last three games – the lack of an efficient offense, as well as scoring. After scoring just 49 against Florida and following that up with 64 against Missouri, the Vols scored just 0.86 points per possession in the win over the Bulldogs. Additionally, Tennessee’s lack of a go-to guy has been an issue – and that, again, presented itself on Tuesday.
That is one key area where the Volunteers and Jayhawks greatly differ, and it could be something that immediately gives the edge to Kansas. In 14 games, the Volunteers have had players score over 20 points on just three occasions. Against the Bulldogs, just one player reached double-digits in Yves Pons, who put in 13 points – and fouled out in 22 minutes of play.
The Jayhawks, meanwhile, have seen their entire starting line-up reach 20 points or more at least once this season – and all five are capable of lighting up the scoreboard on any night. Like many of the struggling blue bloods this year, inconsistency is something that has plagued Kansas – and receiving that scoring on an inconsistent basis is something that had ailed them in their three-straight losses.
Kansas has fared much better on the offensive end in conference play as of late, particularly inside, where they rank fourth at 51.4% – but they are even better defensively, holding teams to just 45.0% on two-pointers, the highest mark in the Big 12. That does not bode well for the Volunteers, whose marks in SEC play have been unimpressive – inside (48.6%, ninth) and outside (29.9%, 11th).
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Both teams play nearly identical tempos, with both earning 67 possessions per game – meaning this game could be slow and low-scoring. If Kansas struggles to knock down shots as they did against TCU, that could be the case – but there may just be too many offensive weapons available for the Jayhawks that have the capability of being the go-to guy, as opposed to the Volunteers.
Prediction: Kansas 64 – Tennessee 57