Going into the weekend there were three undefeated teams in college basketball but after Florida fell to Kentucky and Oklahoma lost to Alabama only one remained:
The Tennessee Volunteers.
That means that things won’t get easier for the Gators (13-1, 0-1 SEC) following their first loss of the season as they play the 14-0 (1-0 SEC) Vols, a team that some argue is the best team in the country.
Last season the Volunteers made an Elite Eight before being knocked out by Purdue, and when you look at the players they returned and what they brought in (more on that later) it seemed like they could do the unthinkable and actually be even better than a season where they finished 5th in KenPom.
Well, it looks like that might have happened.
In the non-conference season Tennessee rolled through their opponents beating up on high-major opponents like Syracuse, Miami, Louisville, Virginia, and Baylor–games that weren’t particularly close. The Vols were pushed once–by Big Ten favorite Illinois, but still they were able to come away with a 66-64 win, and that was in a true road environment. After then easily dispatching a couple of very good mid-major opponents in Norfolk State and Middle Tennessee the Volunteers moved to SEC play where they took on an Arkansas team that looked completely outclassed with Tennessee winning 76-52.
When you look at what is at the heart of Tennessee’s success, it starts with the continuity of their backcourt. Point guard Zakai Zeigler is back for his senior season with over 3200 minutes of action which makes him one of the most experienced players in the entire country. He’s joined by Jamai Mashack who is also a four year Vol, making their starting backcourt a pair of players who have played the entirety of their career at the same high-major which almost never seems to happen these days.
Of course, it isn’t just the returners that make the Volunteers great–they had a major insertion of talent from the transfer portal.
This starts with the addition of Chaz Lanier who has arguably been the most impactful transfer player in the country despite the fact that he wasn’t talked about as that caliber of guy entering the season. A 6’5” guard with a lightning quick release Lanier is averaging a remarkable 20.3 points per game this season and given his ability to shoot and the fact that he came in the portal as a less heralded guy he is drawing comparisons to Tennessee’s success with Dalton Knecht who averaged 21.7 a year ago. For a team that was expected to lack some offensive firepower Lanier has been exactly what Tennessee has needed, someone who can create a shot out of nothing by sliding behind a dribble handoff to launch from deep, or as a primary weapon that the Vols can run sets for. Given that the Gators are coming off a game where they failed to keep Kentucky’s Koby Brea from getting free behind the three-point line it will be a focus of theirs to hone in on Lanier and they will hope for much better results.
Another big pickup was 6’10” center Igor Milicic who came from Charlotte and was a player the Gators pursued in the portal as well. Milicic isn’t the prototypical bruiser that Tennessee likes to play in the frontcourt but he still has a solid frame and loves physicality, and more importantly he brings some skill and passing that the Volunteers haven’t always had in the middle and it has helped open up their offense alongside Lanier.
Also added at center was Ohio State’s Felix Okpara, a 6’11” 235 pound run and jump center who is much more in the build of a typical Rick Barnes post player who can protect the paint and set hard screens and catch lobs on the other end. Okpara has been one of the best offensive rebounders in the country who will get cheap points there as well as off cuts after setting screens for Lanier and the Gators will have to be aware of him creeping around the dunker spot.
Currently the Volunteers are 20th in the country in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency metric, the best they have been since 2019. In recent years the Volunteers have been excellent but the offense has come into question and they’ve been able to address those concerns to some extent become a more potent offense who can put up points more efficiently than we’re used to seeing.
While the offense might be improved, the defense is still front and center for Tennessee. Currently they’re the number one team in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency and, well, just about any defensive metric you want to cite, and when you watch them the eye test backs up their complete dominance on that end. Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack set the tone the moment the opposition crosses half court as they immediately hound the ball handler, either coming away with steals or simply pushing the offense much further from the rim then where they want to operate. While the ball is getting hounded, the wings do great work to get around screens and not give up any advantages, slowing any chance of the offense creating anything off the ball. If there is any level of dribble penetration, Tennessee has the size on the inside to take away layups and protect the rim.
Not only is Tennessee the top defensive team in the country but their defensive efficiency is the best rating the sport has seen in three seasons which supports just how incredible they’ve been.
Both Walter Clayton and Alijah Martin struggled with decision making and turnovers against a Kentucky team who isn’t all that disruptive or dominant on the defensive end and the difficulty of handling the ball is going to get cranked up significantly against Tennessee so they’ll have to be much more focused.
Florida will enter this game as the 3rd ranked offense in the nation according to KenPom, meaning this will be somewhat of a strength on strength battle and the team that best asserts their style of play will likely come out victorious.
Florida and Tennessee tip off on Tuesday, January 7th at 7 PM ET and it will be televised on ESPN 2.