Virginia Basketball vs. Tennessee Game Preview, Score Prediction

2023-2024: 27-9, 14-4 SEK (1st)
2024-2025: 4-0

Once upon a time, Rick Barnes almost became the head men’s basketball coach at Virginia, but ultimately chose to remain the head coach at Providence in April 1990. More than three decades later, Barnes has gone on to coach at Clemson, Texas, and now Tennessee, where he has spent the last 10 seasons compiling a 206-101 overall record and led the Volunteers to two SEC regular season titles, the 2022 SEC Tournament Championship, six NCAA Tournament appearances and a run to the Elite Eight last year.

Tennessee looks to be one of the elite contenders in college basketball once again, with a roster featuring a quartet of double-digit scorers, an array of talented athletes, a suffocating defense and plenty of depth. With that combination of talent, the Volunteers hope to finally get over the hump and to their first Final Four in program history.

Senior guard Zakai Zeigler is the engine that makes the Tennessee offense run. Although he’s only 5’9″, Zeigler’s quickness and ball handling skills are no joke. He’s also having the best season of his career shooting the three-ball this year, converting 47.6% from beyond the arc on five-plus attempts per .game after shooting 34.4% from three last season, Ziegler is averaging 15.5 points and 7.8 assists per game, and while turning the ball over a bit too much (4.5 turnovers per game), he more than makes up for it with his defensive skills.The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year averages 1.8 steals per game.

Ziegler will be joined at guard by fellow seniors Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey. A transfer from North Florida, Lanier is averaging 13.8 points per game. game and shoots even better than Ziegler from beyond the arc at just 50.0%. Gainey, who is in his second season in Knoxville after starting his career at USC Upstate, has nearly doubled his scoring average this season with 11.0 points per game. game, despite coming off the bench in Tennessee’s first four games, and he’s also a capable three. points shooter of 36.4%. 6’4” senior guard Jahmai Mashack has started the first four games and is averaging 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and is also a quality defender averaging 2.3 steals per game.

In front of Tennessee’s frontcourt is a familiar face to Virginia basketball fans: Igor Miličić Jr. The Croatian big man began his career in Virginia but spent just one season in Charlottesville, playing only garbage minutes and appearing in just 16 games before being traded to none other than Ron Sanchez at Charlotte. Miličić spent two seasons with the 49ers before parlaying his strong junior season (12.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg) into an opportunity to return to the major conference level this season at Tennessee, where he has blossomed into a major contributor to a national candidate. Miličić is averaging a career high 14.0 points per game to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Joining Miličić in the frontcourt is 6’11” center Felix Okpara, a junior from Lagos, Nigeria. Okpara is averaging 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and will be a burden for Blake Buchanan to handle in the paint .

Like Virginia, Tennessee hasn’t played the toughest schedule, but the Volunteers have looked very good, averaging 88.0 points per game. Tennessee’s most notable result so far is a 77-55 win at Louisville, which may or may not be significant depending on how back The Cardinals turn out to be in their first season under Pat Kelsey. Thursday night’s matchup in the Bahamas (and the second game on Friday) will reveal a lot for both of these teams.

Igor Miličić Jr. against his former team and former coach
It has been more than two years since Igor Miličić Jr. last called Virginia home, and a year and a half ago Ron Sanchez stepped down as his head coach at Charlotte to return to UVA. Miličić is unlikely to hold any ill will towards his former school and coach, but it will be fascinating to see how he plays against Sanchez and the Cavaliers on Thursday night. Not only is it an exciting story, but it’s also a key to the game, as Miličić was Tennessee’s leading scorer and rebounder in each of the last two games.

Dai Dai Ames vs. Zakai Zeigler
As we said in the scouting report, Zeigler is key to Tennessee’s offense, recording at least seven assists in each of the first four games of the season. The point guard matchup between Zeigler and Dai Dai Ames will be crucial as Ames will be tested by a very experienced floor general and exceptional athlete on both ends of the floor. Ames will have a notable size advantage, but sticking with Zeigler through ball screens on defense and getting some separation from him on offense will be a huge challenge for the Kansas State transfer.

Three-point contest
Both the Cavaliers and Volunteers hope their strong start beyond the arc will continue on their trip to the Bahamas. Tennessee is shooting 41.6% from three-point range (25th in the nation), while Virginia is shooting 44.6% from the perimeter (8th in the nation). How these two teams shoot and defend the three-point line will go a long way in determining victory in this matchup.

The Cavaliers have been impressive in their 3-0 start to the season, and there’s a lot to like about what we’ve seen from Ron Sanchez and company so far. The Volunteers have been better, and more importantly, they run the Hoos around in terms of experience, a factor that is a huge advantage in these early season games. I have this as Virginia’s first loss of the season.

Score Prediction: Virginia 63, Tennessee 70

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