HawgBeat - Scouting Report: Analyzing Arkansas vs Tennessee
HawgBeat takes a deep dive into the analytics for Arkansas basketball's opponent on Tuesday: the Tennessee Volunteers.
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Arkansas (19-10, 8-8 SEC) will try to secure a signature road win on Tuesday when it travels to Knoxville for a matchup with No. 12 Tennessee (21-8, 10-6) inside Thompson-Boling Arena.
Each team has lost three of their last five contests, but the outcome last time out was different for the two. A late comeback wasn't enough for the Razorbacks on Saturday, as they lost at No. 2 Alabama, 86-83. The Volunteers dominated South Carolina, 85-45, in a much-needed win that broke a two-game losing streak.
Both Arkansas and Tennessee have dealt with injuries throughout the season. The Volunteers were without a veteran leader in Josiah-Jordan James for a four-game stretch until he returned during Saturday's win over the Gamecocks. Getting him back seemed to be the remedy the team needed.
"His presence has such a major impact on our team because he’s been in so many big opportunities, big-game situations," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said after the game. "I think his presence takes a lot of pressure off of guys. He gives his teammates a comfort. I thought when he came on the floor tonight in the first half he was obviously terrific. I thought he played with great poise and pace."
James scored 18 points in 21 minutes for a Volunteers team that has been a stagnant offense at times. While offense has been an issue in some games, Tennessee's defense is elite, allowing opponents to score 56.7 points per game, which ranks first in the SEC and third in the nation.
Other injuries of note for Tennessee include star freshman Julian Phillips, who has missed four straight games with a hip flexer injury, and Tyreke Key, who missed Saturday's game against South Carolina with an ankle injury. Both are considered to be game-time decisions as of now.
On the other side, the Hogs missed Nick Smith Jr. for 13-straight, but he is hitting his stride after being back for five games now. The talented guard earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after scoring a career-high 26 points against Georgia last week and 24 at Alabama.
"We see him every day from a shooting standpoint," Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said after the Georgia game. "He’s been coming to Bud Walton on his own at night. I think that’s how you get your rhythm back. You can’t just rely on practice time, because we’ve can’t practice just for Nick when we’ve got guys like AB and Ricky and those guys that have been practicing and grinding."
Arkansas has all but secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament with its resume, but adding a Quad 1 road win over Tennessee would certainly boosts its chances of getting a better seed.
Here's a closer look into Tennessee's stats, efficiency ratings, projected lineups and more ahead of Tuesday's game, which is set to tipoff at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2:
Metrics Comparison (Tennessee & Arkansas)
Metrics Comparison| Metric | Tennessee (21-8, 10-6) | Arkansas (19-10, 8-8) |
|---|---|---|
| NET | 3 | 14 |
| AP Top 25 | 12 | RV |
| ESPN BPI | 2 | 12 |
| KenPom | 4 | 15 |
| Torvik | 4 | 14 |
| Sagarin | 5 | 12 |
| EvanMiya | 2 | 15 |
| Lunardi Bracketology | 3-seed | 8-seed |
Tennessee statistical rankings (per game)
~ Scoring offense: 71.8 points scored (8th in SEC, 176th nationally)~ Scoring defense: 56.7 points allowed (1st in SEC, 3rd nationally)
~ Assists: 17.1 (1st in SEC, 10th nationally)
~ Field goal percentage: 43.2% (8th in SEC, 257th nationally)
~ 3-point field goal percentage: 32.5% (8th in SEC, 269th nationally)
~ Free throw percentage: 71.2% (6th in SEC, 192nd nationally)
~ Rebounds: 39.2 (2nd in SEC, t-14th nationally)
~ Blocks: 3.8 (t-7th in SEC, t-93rd nationally)
~ Steals: 8.6 (3rd in SEC, t-27th nationally)
Tennessee projected starting five (from last game)
#5 - G Zakai Zeigler - So., 5'9", 171 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 29.6 min, 11.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 steals, 2.3 turnovers, 0.2 blocks, 37.3 fg%, 31.1 3fg%
#25 - G Santiago Vescovi - Sr., 6'3", 192 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 32.3 min, 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.5 turnovers, 0.1 blocks, 39.0 fg%, 34.9 3fg%
#15 - G Jahmai Mashack - So., 6'4", 201 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 16.9 min, 4.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.0 turnovers, 0.3 blocks, 41.0 fg%, 31.0 3fg%
#13 - F Olivier Nkamhoua - Sr., 6'9", 236 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 25.6 min, 10.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.8 turnovers, 0.7 blocks, 51.4 fg%, 32.4 3fg%
#0 - F Jonas Aidoo - So., 6'11”, 241 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 17.4 min, 4.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.8 turnovers, 1.3 blocks, 48.7 fg%, 29.4 3fg%
Other Tennessee players to watch
#30 - G Josiah Jordan-James - Sr., 6'6", 224 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 23.6 min, 10.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.9 turnovers, 0.1 blocks, 39.4 fg%, 32.2 3fg%
#2 - F Julian Phillips Fr., 6'8", 198 lbs.*
2022 Stats per game: 25.0 min, 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.3 turnovers, 0.6 blocks, 41.7 fg%, 27.0 3fg%
#4 - G Tyreke Key - Gr., 6'2", 211 lbs.*
2022 Stats per game: 24.0 min, 8.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.1 turnovers, 33.2 fg%, 33.6 3fg%
#33 - F Uros Plavsic - Sr., 7'1", 265 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 13.6 min, 5.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.8 turnovers, 0.3 blocks, 65.6 fg%
* - possibly won't play
