Tennessee Basketball: 3 keys for Volunteers vs Colorado Buffaloes

As the sun sets on week one of the College Basketball season, we are all going to finish with a game between two power five schools. One of those schools, Tennessee Basketball, is ranked in the top 15. The other school, the Colorado Buffaloes, are a team who comes into the game reeling and really needs a spark. Colorado is not a team who is just going to roll over they are going to play hard and may present a fairly unique set of challenges for Tennessee if they are not ready.

The Volunteers under head coach Rick Barnes have turned into a national power. They finish in the top half of the SEC almost every year, and they still continue to be a force on the recruiting trail. It is nice to see a game like this on the schedule for the Volunteers as they are headed to the Battle for Atlantis over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Typically the schedule is a little light before going and playing a huge tournament. Coach Barnes doesn’t believe in that philosophy as he will play anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Heading into the matchup this afternoon the Volunteers are double-digit favorites and it would be a surprise if they did not cover that. Tennessee is the more talented team, the 11th-ranked team in the country, and is playing the game in their home state of Tennessee. The game is not in Knoxville but is in Nashville, so it is technically considered a neutral site game but as Colorado will soon find out it is going to be a Tennessee home game. What can the Volunteers do to ensure that they win this game?  If they accomplish these three things they will win the game handily.