The Tennessee Volunteers will host the LSU Tigers tomorrow night in TBA and will be looking to avoid a letdown after their elite performance in Rupp Arena. The Tigers come into this game with a record of 12-9 overall and a 4-4 record in SEC play which is not very impressive. However, any win is hard to come by in the SEC, and even a team that sits at 9th in the conference standings will show up ready to fight. The Vols are undoubtedly the more talented team in this matchup, but there are a few things the Vols can do to ensure that Big Orange Country has a stress-free Wednesday night.

1. Push the pace

   The Vols have shown throughout this season that they are at their best when they go fast on offense. It took 12 seconds for the Vols to secure the lead in Rupp on Saturday night, and they never relinquished that lead because they pushed the pace. I think most Vol fans are comfortable with any of our starters taking an open shot, and when Dalton Knecht draws as much attention as he does the space is there to have plenty of open looks. When the Vols have those looks they must shoot the ball no matter how much time is left on the shot clock. My simple request for the Vols on Wednesday night is to let it fly and exude the same level of confidence on offense that they did against Kentucky.

2. Keep Jordan Wright under 15 points

   The LSU Tigers snagged Jordan Wright out of the transfer portal in the offseason, and now he is their leading scorer. Vol fans should be familiar with Wright as he was one of Vanderbilt’s best players over the last several years, and he is perfectly capable of taking over a game. Wright averages 15.5 points a game this year so the Vols will likely sic JJJ and Mashack on him to keep him in check. Keep him from lighting up the scoreboard and it should all but guarantee another SEC win for the Vols.

3. Bury them early

   The worst thing the Vols could do on Wednesday night is let LSU stick around for 30-plus minutes. Very often in college sports the underdog in a game gains more and more confidence if the more talented team allows them to stay in the game. The nightmare scenario for the Vols is that LSU starts to feel themselves late into the second half and rides hot shooting to a shocking victory. Tennessee needs to establish itself early, build a lead, and then sustain that lead without letting LSU even sniff a run that makes it interesting.

Prediction

I expect the Vols to avoid the letdown here and accomplish all these keys en route to a comfortable win. This victory could start a winning streak for the Vols as the schedule gets much easier in the coming weeks. Start off this stretch on the right foot and Tennessee can really start to separate from the rest of the SEC.

Score: Tennessee - 85

LSU - 68