On Saturday, the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers will travel to Athens, Ga., to
face the Georgia Bulldogs in both teams’ final regular season game.
The Vols (23-5, 11-4) have struggled recently on the road, losing the past
two Saturdays at Vanderbilt and Alabama. Now Tennessee is trying to pull
together before going into the post-season.
“One big thing is that we need to play well on the road and in the SEC.
That’s never easy,” Tennessee head coach Jerry Green said. “We don’t dwell
on the past. We just do the best we can today.”
In the Vols’ two recent losses, guard Tony Harris and forward Isiah Victor
have been no-shows. The duo has struggled on the road but managed to pull
in good performances at home. The question is if they will show up
Saturday.
“I feel sure (Tony) will show up,” Green said. “He’s a veteran and he knows
where we need to be.”
Victor has been bothered by the flu all week and struggled Wednesday
against Arkansas. He was forced to spend most of the first half in the
locker room. The second half saw Victor gasping for air and chugging water
on the sidelines.
“I believe Isiah will be in good shape,” Green said. “He’ll be ready. It’s
just a matter of getting healthy.”
In the teams’ first meeting on Feb. 9, the Vols routed the Bulldogs 110-83
after leading by only six at the half. Although Georgia could not hang with
Tennessee, they had strong performances by sophomore D.A. Layne and junior
Shon Coleman. Layne poured in 30 points while Coleman earned a
double-double with 25 points and 15 rebounds.
Georgia (10-18, 3-12 SEC) came into the previous matchup on a four-game
losing streak as is the case this time. The Bulldogs have dropped their
most recent games to No. 22 Kentucky, No. 8 Florida, South Carolina and
Vanderbilt.
“They’re really a complete basketball team and them playing at home will
make a difference,” Green said. “We’ve got to play well and limit their
touches inside.”
The Bulldogs are led by Layne, possibly one of the best shooters in the
country. The 6-2 sophomore guard can shoot from anywhere on the court and
has the versatility to pass and rebound. Layne averages 17.9 points per
game and shoots 37 percent from behind the arc.
“The big thing with Layne is getting to his shots,” Green said. “You’re not
going to stop him, you can only try to limit his shots. We’ve just got to
be there when he puts up a shot.”
Backing Layne is 6-7 forward Anthony Evans. Evans mostly plays the post
position with his 265-pound frame. Despite his height, the junior is a
strong presence in the paint averaging 15.3 points and nine boards.
Coleman will also help lead the Bulldog attack. Coleman is a 6-6 forward
who averages 12.6 points and 8.4 rebounds. He and Layne completely took
over the Georgia offense in the contest in Knoxville. Look for them to do
so again on Saturday.
Georgia has a talented basketball team that averages 72 points and can
play the full-court or half-court game. Just like the rest of the season,
the Bulldogs will hang with the Vols for the majority of the game. However,
the fact is that the Bulldogs don’t have the athletes or the depth that the
Volunteers have.
“We have to make shots and show up healthy,” Green said. “We just want to
play the way we do at home. Knoxville is a championship town and we are
concerned with that.”
