Game Day Essentials: Game #6 vs Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee Info

Head Coach: Rick Barnes
Location: Knoxville, TN
Conference: Southeastern Conference
Nickname: Volunteers
Mascot: Smokey X
Last time out: Lost to George Washington
Typical Rotation Depth: 9-10 players
Line:
Fun Fact: RIck Barnes is the 3rd coach in three years for the Vols. Last year it was human NCAA violation Donnie Tyndall who had replaced the departing Cuonzo Martin

Possible Starters

Huskers

32 Benny Parker G 5-9 175 Sr.
0 Tai Webster G 6-4 196 Jr.
3 Andrew White III G 6-7 216 Jr.
31 Shavon Shields G/F 6-7 225 Sr.
24 Jake Hammond F 6-10 235 Soph

Volunteers

0 Kevin Punter 6-2 190 Sr
4 Armani Moore 6-4 217 Sr
3 Robert Hubbs 6-4 207 Jr
34 Devon Baulkman 6-4 200 Sr
23 Derek Reese 6-7 230 Sr

Player to Watch, figuratively: Devon Baulkman

On a team that doesn't score a lot from 3 he's leading the team in attempts and is the only guy on the squad with more shots from 3 than 2.

The Skinny

First year head coach Rick Barnes inherited a small, veteran Volunteer group who brought back almost everyone except for current NBA player Josh Richardson. The Vols are one of the shortest teams in Div 1, with basically a 6'7" 230 post player and little else in the main rotation in terms of height.

This is a Tenneessee team that wants to get up and down the court, scoring on transition and forcing you into their game. At points the Huskers will be tempted to run and should when the opportunity arises. It is also going to be tempting to crash the offensive boards as the Vols are a pretty poor offensive rebounding team. However, getting back and establishing their pack defense will be key today against a team likely to jack up a bad shot when they have to run offense.

In addition to 3 pt shooting Devon Baulkman, the Huskers need to be quick on their feet with Kevin Punter and Armani Moore who excel at drawing fouls on the opposition. This isn't necessarily a team where you key on taking away a guy though there is enough scoring for everyone to hurt you.

This is a winnable game for a Nebraska team that looked good in their loss to Cincy. It's possible this one gets a little sloppy with both teams having played in the last 24 hours. Hopefully we'll get to watch it at some point should we win.

Prediction: Nebraska 65 - Tennessee 58