10/11/2023 basketball Edit

Mizzou Basketball opponent preview: Tennessee

Drew King • PowerMizzou

Basketball Writer

In this series, we’ll look ahead at Mizzou’s opponents in the upcoming 2023-24 season. We’ll continue by previewing the Tennessee Volunteers.

Date & Location: Feb. 20 at Mizzou Arena

2022-23 Record: 25-11 (11-7 SEC)

NCAA Tournament Finish: Defeated No. 13 seed Louisiana in Round of 64, 58-55, defeated No. 5 seed Duke in Round of 32, 65-52, lost to No. 9 seed FAU in Sweet 16, 62-55

KEY LOSSES

B.J. Edwards (transferred), Tyreke Key (graduated), Olivier Nkamhoua (transferred), Julian Phillips (drafted), Uros Plavsic (graduated)

KEY RETURNERS

Jonas Aidoo, Tobe Awaka, Freddie Dilione V, Josiah-Jordan James, D.J. Jefferson Jahmai Mashack, Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler

KEY INCOMING TRANSFERS

Dalton Knecht (Northern Colorado, 20.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.8 apg), Justin Gainey (USC Upstate, 15.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.3 apg)

KEY INCOMING FRESHMEN

Cameron Carr (No. 46), J.P. Estrella (No. 57), Cade Phillips (No. 146)

OUTLOOK

Tennessee seasons stick to the same script every year. The Volunteers dominate defensively. Their offense leaves a little something to be desired. And while they might win a game or two in the NCAA tournament, they come up short of making it out of the second weekend.

Last year’s squad had the chance to buck that trend. Tennessee was No. 1 in the country in defensive efficiency and top-50 in offensive efficiency heading into the final few weeks of the regular season. But starting point guard Zakai Zeigler suffered a torn ACL on Feb. 28 while playing against Arkansas and missed the rest of the year. While it didn’t affect the team enough to keep it from reaching the Sweet 16, it did cost them the chance to go even further.

With six members of his rotation from last year returning, head coach Rick Barnes’ squad should have a similar profile. The biggest question, as it always is with the Volunteers, is whether they have enough to finally get over the hump.

The backcourt should look familiar with Zeigler and super senior guard Santiago Vescovi as the incumbent starters. Tennessee ranked second in the country with 66.2% of the field goals being assisted on according to Kenpom. Zeigler was a major reason why, accounting for 36.9% of his team’s assists while he was on the court, which ranked ninth nationally. The 5-foot-9 point guard is also a sneaky-good defender, swiping a steal on 4.2% of possessions, which was 35th-best in the NCAA. The hope is that Zeigler’s injury won’t affect his quickness, which he used to speed past his opponents and bend defenses. Vescovi, entering his fifth year with the school, keeps the team’s floor high as a grizzled veteran who can do a little bit of everything. When Zeigler went down, Vescovi kept the team afloat by sliding to the point guard spot but is more effective off the ball. He led the team with 12.5 points per game last year, shot 37.0% from beyond the arc on 246 attempts, and is an excellent rebounder and defender for his size, averaging 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.

Behind the pair of All-SEC caliber guards is returning junior Jahmai Mashack, who made 13 starts last year, USC Upstate transfer Jordan Gainey, who led the Spartans with 15.2 points per game last season, and four-star freshman Cameron Carr.

Barnes lost a lot of experience in his frontcourt, but still has a few returners he can count on in fifth-year senior Josiah-Jordan James, junior James Aidoo and sophomore Tobe Awaka. James originally declared for the NBA draft before choosing to return to Knoxville, Tenn., and should help the Vols maintain their defensive identity, smothering opposing ball-handlers. Aidoo and Awaka should split time at the center spot, both of them physically imposing inside, but Aidoo’s ability to stretch the floor could allow Barnes to play them together some. Freshmen J.P. Estrella and Cade Phillips should round out the forward rotation.

On the wing, Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht is hoping to give Tennessee the extra firepower its often lacked on the offensive side of the ball. He ranked 23rd in the nation scoring 20.2 points per game for the Bears while shooting 38.1% from deep on 6.3 attempts per contest. Redshirt freshmen D.J. Jefferson and Freddie Dilione V could also compete for minutes along the perimeter.

Missouri beat the Volunteers in both of their meetings last year, the first on a buzzer-beater triple from former guard DeAndre Gholston and the second in the SEC tournament after Zeigler was sidelined. Hosting Tennessee this season, the Tigers should expect another grind of a game.