GAME 33 – 3/13/2010
BRIDGESTONE ARENA – NASHVILLE, TN
1 PM – TV- ABC
#13 TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS 25-7 (11-5)
KENTUCKY LEADS SERIES 142-66
RECENT MEETINGS:
2/27/2010: TENNESSEE 74 KENTUCKY 65
2/13/2010: KENTUCKY 73 TENNESSEE 62
2/21/2009: KENTUCKY 77 TENNESSEE 58
1/13/2009: KENTUCKY 90 TENNESSEE 72
3/2/2008: TENNESSEE 63 KENTUCKY 60
1/22/2008: KENTUCKY 72 TENNESSEE 66
2/13/2007: TENNESSEE 89 KENTUCKY 85
1/28/2007: KENTUCKY 76 TENNESSEE 57
I might as well be repeating myself every other Saturday. It seems like every two weeks we get to spend our Saturdays hating the Vols, but most importantly Bruce Pearl, his jacket, and anything else orange. Kentucky has been a perfect 3-0 since the last time these teams met and were the time before that as well. Well what a coincidence. The last time these two teams played- well, honestly I don’t even remember. I was out of town and missed the game so thankfully it doesn’t even register in my memory bank. Back to Kentucky: the Cats are two wins away from securing their first SEC Tournament championship in six years and 26th overall, just another goal on the list for this season. Tennessee has not won the SEC Tournament championship since 1979 and they look to do so this season, but the always resilient Cats stand in their way. Kentucky comes off a win against Alabama in which they only made one three-pointer all game but managed to clamp down on defense and create tough shots for Alabama. Tennessee won against LSU in a sluggish game on Thursday and beat Ole Miss on Friday. Tennessee has history on their side in this game, need I remind you, that they have beaten both the #1 and #2 ranked teams this year, and look to do it for a third time.
THE STARTERS:
G – SCOTTY HOPSON – SO 6’7 200
12.9 ppg, 3.6 rebs. 1.3 assists
G – BOBBY MAZE – SR 6’3 195
9.4 ppg, 2.7 rebs, 3.1 assists
F – J.P. PRINCE – SR – 6’7 205
8.3 ppg, 3.9 rebs, 3.1 assists
C – BRIAN WILLIAMS – JR 6’10 278
5.1 ppg, 5.7 rebs, 0.6 assists
F/C – WAYNE CHISM – SR 6’9 246
12.9 ppg, 6.9 rebs, 1 assists
Scotty Hopson is quick and long, and could present matchup problems. Only a sophomore, Hopson has gotten more assertive and is especially elusive in getting to the rim. He is a decent three point shooter at 35.1 and although he has posted double digits in each of his past five games, he only posted 6 points against the Rebels. The downside? As good a shooter Hopson is, he is anemic from the line (59.3%) and has a horrible A/TO ratio (.60) and is a pretty average rebounder for a 6’7 guy. Bobby Maze has done of good job of becoming the Vols floor general with a 2.18A/TO ratio for the season. He has become a consistent scorer, hitting double digits in three of his last four games and but has hit 4-15 from beyond the arc. That has brought his 3-point percentage up to 26% on the season. Maze is at his best as a PG against the better teams – against Purdue, Kansas and Vanderbilt, Maze had a total of 19 assist and 3 TO’s, although he had just one assist and three turnovers versus the Cats. Brian Williams has moved into the starting lineup lately, but has only scored in double digits once in the last four games.
J.P Prince is a nice all around player with great length and ability to score in the paint. Prince is capable of the occasional scoring game as he has scored in double digits eleven games. Prince does tend to disappear scoring wise in the games where he is not putting up big numbers and he has 12 games where he has put up 5 points or less. Prince is a pretty consistent rebounder and ball handler and leads the Vols in steals. Wayne Chism is a bit undersized as a center and to be banging around with Cousins, yet that is the task that will probably fall to him. The last four games, Chism has been averaging 12 ppg and 6 rebounds. For a big guy, Chism can score from all over the court and has hit 34.7% of his treys on the season. He is coming off a 16 point and 15 rebound performance against Ole Miss.
G Cameron Tatum is a key reserve as he has had double digits in scoring in four of his last five games. He is hitting 41.5% of his treys. G Renaldo Woolridge has been banished back to the bench as Goins has gotten back up to speed but has played two minutes in the lat three games. Woolridge is averaging 3.8 points and 3.3 boards a game. Tennessee also has a couple of bench players that you will love to hate: G Skylar McBee and Daddy’s Boy F Stephen Pearl. McBee is averaging 4.0 points in 15 minutes a game and Pearl is good for 9 minutes and 1.6 points.
OUTLOOK
This is Kentucky’s chance to create some momentum going into the Big Dance next week as well as the SEC Championship game on Sunday (did I just guarantee a win?), andwhat better way than to do it than beat Tennessee. Granted we are playing on a neutral site in their home state, but the Big Blue Nation is out in full force in Nashville, reclaiming it as Rupp Arena South for the weekend. So the crowd will have an effect on the game tomorrow.
Tennessee has played mostly uninspired basketball the last few games and tomorrow is there big chance to move up or at least secure a #3 seed in the tournament. Wayne Chism will need to have another big game, and J.P. Prince will need to show up again as he did for the Ole Miss game. He has been on and off in scoring so much this year that I even forgot he played for Tennessee, but I guess that’s a good thing. UK will need to have their wing players (Dodson, Miller, Liggins, Harris) come ready to play, because with Tennessee looking to collapse in the post on defense, we will be getting most of our points from the outside unless John Wall can have another incredible performance as he did today, by taking the ball in the lane and getting it out on the fast break. Patterson will be the X factor in this game as he will need another solid game. If he does, look for Kentucky to pull out the win. If him and Cousins both dominate- game, set, and match. Kentucky wins this one, 79-72 marching through to the SEC Finals.
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