Buzz Peterson must hate Willie Nelson.
Even after pulling into a three-way tie for third in the SEC Eastern Division, nothing seems promising for the Volunteers going on the road again.
Tennessee (13-9, 5-6 SEC) travels to Athens to face East bottom-dweller Georgia on Saturday at 2 p.m., seemingly a good candidate for the Vols’ first SEC road win of the season.
UT rolled over the Bulldogs 89-65 on Jan. 7. Peterson said he doubted Georgia (13-10, 5-7) had forgotten the pounding.
I’d say they’ll remember what happened up here, he said. (Stegeman Coliseum) is always a tough place to play.
Sadly for the Vols, every opponent’s arena has been difficult. But Tennessee hasn’t been alone in its road woes.
Both Ole Miss and Arkansas are without SEC road wins, while four other teams stand with only one away victory.
There haven’t been many road victories in this league this year, Peterson said. I’d say Mississippi State would account for most of those.
The Western Division’s Bulldogs are 6-0 on the road, while no other team has more than three.
The Vols third-year coach said the trend must not continue for his team.
We have to turn this thing around, he said. We just have to figure out how to do that in another setting.
Peterson said confidence would be important to finding success on the road, but it will be the Bulldogs coming in with their heads high.
This season, Georgia has defeated Kentucky twice and is coming off a home win over Florida.
The Vols also defeated the Gators, but were unsuccessful against the Wildcats at home. The difference may be something UT is missing, according to Peterson.
They’re (UGA) really tough with those four seniors, he said. They’ve been through a lot, and that mental toughness will take you a long way.
The Vols will need a win over the Bulldogs to stay in the race for the league’s final NCAA Tournament spot.
Wednesday’s win over the Rebels moved Tennessee into a three-way tie with Florida and Vanderbilt for third in the East. Peterson said there is little room for error.
It’s that point in the season where we can’t slip up, he said. We still have a lot to play for and we can’t lose it now.
