Tennessee Basketball: 3 keys to beating Texas in Big 12/SEC Challenge

Tennessee Basketball and Texas meet on Saturday night in Knoxville for a top-ten matchup. Both teams are looking to add a major victory to their resume.

Tennessee welcomes Texas to town on Saturday which should be a great atmosphere between two top ten teams in the country.

A lot of people are already talking about the big football games which will be played on Sunday, but let’s not forget about some really good basketball games on Saturday including this showdown between the Volunteers against the Longhorns.

Texas 17-3 (6-2 Big 12) comes into this matchup winners in five of their last six games. They did lose at Iowa State, but also had a very nice home win over in-state TCU.

The Longhorns program was put into a tough spot with everything revolving around former head coach Chris Beard, but the players and coaching staff led by Rodney Terry have really seemed to stay focused on their end.

If you have watched Texas play this year it is no surprise here when you say that their leader out on the court is guard Marcus Carr. The senior guard is leading the team in scoring and also setting up his teammates with assists. Carr is not the only one you have to worry about on the scouting report though for Texas.

There is talent up and down this roster with the likes of Tyrese Hunter, Timmy Allen, and Sir’Jabari Rice. Four Texas starters are averaging double digits in scoring. Plus the Longhorns have an extremely talented freshman in forward Dillon Mitchell.

Tennessee 17-3 (7-1 SEC) like Texas has been playing well. The Volunteers have bounced back with multiple wins after their disappointing home loss to Kentucky a few weeks ago.

Rick Barnes has a deeper roster this year in Tennessee with multiple guys playing major minutes, but it all starts with their senior in Santiago Vescovi. The senior guard is the heart and soul of this team. The Volunteers have five guys averaging in double figures in scoring. Freshman forward Julian Phillips has been a huge piece this year and will be moving forward for Tennessee the rest of the way.

Both Tennessee and Texas are looking to add a key non-conference victory to their resume. The Volunteers and Longhorns are both heading to the NCAA Tournament no doubt, but you can never have too many solid wins to your name before March Madness.

Here are three keys to Tennessee beating Texas on Saturday night.

3. Attack the glass on both ends of the floor

Tennessee needs to make sure they are being aggressive on the boards on both ends of the floor. The more the Volunteers can battle and be scrappy on the backboard the better chances they have of winning this matchup.

Texas has three losses coming into Saturday and has lost the rebounding battle to Illinois, Kansas State, and Iowa State. Coach Barnes will need his forwards of Phillips, Olivier Nkamhoua, Uros Plavsic, and the guards to play big and try and control the glass.

Games between top ten teams usually come down to one or two possessions overall. An offensive rebound, or a big defensive rebound here and there could be the difference in winning or losing the game in the end.

2. Defend, defend and defend

Tennessee is an excellent defensive team. Don’t believe me? Look no further than their stats. They come into this game giving up 53.7 points per game which is the best in the country, and a defense rating of 79.0 which also leads the nation according to Sports Reference.

On the other side, Texas is one of the better offenses in the country. They come into this game averaging 80.5 points per game as team which is 23rd, and an offensive rating of 112.0 which is 32nd in the nation.

Tennessee needs to slow down Texas and make them play a more slower-paced game. The lower the score the better for Tennessee to pick up the huge out-of-conference win.

1. Shoot the ball well from distance

Tennessee is not afraid to fire it from beyond the three-point line this year. When the Volunteers have shot it well from three-point range they have found themselves winning the majority of the time. So far this season they are 11-2 when they make at least seven 3-point field goals in a game.

Their lone loss where they did not hit seven in a game was against Kentucky where they only went 3-21 from deep, shooting a disappointing 14.3% from three.

Texas comes into this game ranked as the 152nd team Thursday in the nation defending the three-point line according to the stats on the NCAA site. It will definitely be in the scouting report for Tennessee to shoot from three against Texas. Look for the Volunteers to try to take advantage of Texas not being the greatest guarding the perimeter.

Truly believe this game lives up to the hype as being a really entertaining game between two top-ten programs. In the end, Tennessee captures the big win to add to its resume.