Tennessee Basketball: 3 keys to beat Florida Atlantic in Sweet 16 matchup

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 18: Players of the Tennessee Volunteers huddle against the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 18, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. Tennessee won 65-52. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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Tennessee Basketball (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

Dominate the offensive glass

Tennessee shot 9-21 from 3-point range (42.9%) against Duke, but they can’t afford to fall in love with the 3-point line now. The Vols’ best offense, including 3-point looks, comes from the offensive glass.

When Tennessee grabs at least 33% of potential offensive rebounds, it’s 20-4. When it grabs fewer than 33%, it’s 5-6.

FAU ranks No. 329 in average height, according to KenPom, but No. 43 in defensive rebounding percentage. The Owls start four guards under 6-foot-4 and rotate between a 7-foot-1 center and a 6-foot-8 forward at the five spot. That leaves room for Tennessee’s wings to rebound at a high level. Josiah-Jordan James, Julian Phillips, and Jahmai Mahshack will need to be active on the offensive glass against FAU’s smaller guards.

The size difference could cause some issues for Tennessee in terms of lineups, although Rick Barnes will likely stick with what’s worked so far. That means that Olivier Nkamhoua will likely be matched up with a smaller guard. On one end, he can dominate the offensive glass. On the other, he’ll have to chase a guard around the 3-point line, as FAU does an excellent job of using its smaller lineups to stretch out opposing defenses and make opposing forwards guard in space.

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