The roller coaster ride is at a pivotal point today: It could go up or it could come crashing down.
The Tennessee Volunteers find themselves in that position as an eight-seed in the NCAA Tournament and a tough first-round draw in the Midwest Regional.
The Vols (22-10) face-off with No. 9 seed Charlotte (21-10) today at approximately 2:45 p.m. (TV: CBS) in Dayton, Ohio. The winner of today’s game will play the winner of No. 1 seed Illinois-No. 16 seed Northwestern State on Sunday.
The 49ers and the Vols present an interesting matchup from top to bottom as both teams seem to present a mirror image of the each other.
One of us is an eight seed and one of us is a nine seed, UT head coach Jerry Green said, so it should be an exciting game.
I think it’s just a matter of playing good. The big thing is to mature offensively and not shoot ourselves in the foot.
The Vols average 81.4 points per contest while the 49ers average 79.1. Tennessee is shooting 46 percent from the floor while Charlotte shoots 44.2 percent. Both teams are shooting 37 percent from 3-point range and both teams average seven steals per game.
Talk about an even matchup.
Another toe-to-toe bout will be the battle of the backcourts. Charlotte loves to shoot the 3-pointer and has the guns to do it. Guards Jobey Thomas (40.4 percent), Diego Guevara (37.8) and Demon Brown (34.9) can all nail the long ball with ease, with Guevara and Brown penetrating to find the open perimeter shot.
James Zimmerman can also hit with accuracy at 35.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Their very well coached, they’ve got good size and good guards, Green said. They box out well and they’re fundamentally sound. They’re a very-well balanced team.
On the other side of the ball, Tennessee’s Tony Harris has been inconsistent in his postseason play throughout his career while sophomore Jon Higgins is shooting a scorching 49.5 percent from 3-point land, although his attempts are limited.
The main event may be in the paint when Tennessee’s Ron Slay will likely matchup with Charlotte freshman Rodney White. White is averaging 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds on the season for the 49ers. Most of his scoring comes in the lane, however, when White steps outside, he also can be deadly. White is shooting at a 38.4 percent clip from long range.
White’s counterpart, Slay, has been the dominant force for the Volunteers as of late. In the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Slay led the Vols with 22 points against Auburn and 20 points against Ole Miss.
Although Slay has only six starts this season, he could see his seventh today in order to matchup with the athletic White.
Also complicating the situation, senior center Charles Hathaway may have to sit out the game due to a bruised shoulder he suffered Tuesday in practice. Hathaway did not practice on Wednesday.
While the Vols ended the regular season with a bad taste in their mouth, the 49ers are just the opposite. Charlotte is riding high after upsetting its way to the Conference USA Tournament Championship. The 49ers beat Cincinnati 80-72 for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
I watched them play Cincinnati and their coach did a tremendous job out there, Green said. They have an excellent team or else they wouldn’t have won their tournament.
Bench play will likely play a key role in Tennessee’s success today. In the Vols’ two SEC Tournament games, the bench outscored the starters 40-33 against Auburn and 41-32 against Ole Miss.
Tennessee has been getting consistent play from guards Jenis Grindstaff and Harris Walker. Their minutes should rise if starters Higgins and Harris fail to find their touch.
