The Tennessee Volunteers have been on a roll as of late. They take an eight-game winning streak and a No. 2 national ranking into this weekend's contest with the top-ranked Memphis Tigers. The winner of Saturday night's FedExForum showdown (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) will have the inside track on the top overall seed for the NCAA basketball tournament. 

    This is the biggest game in the two teams' surprisingly short series (this is only the 19th meeting between the two schools) , and the plotline for this heavyweight matchup has a striking resemblance to the 'Rocky' series.

    In the yellow corner, the contender, Rocky Balboa!

    The limelight hasn't always shone so brightly on this Tennessee team. In fact, it has taken every bit of the three years head coach Bruce Pearl has been on the job for the Vols to reach such heights. In that time, the Vols have changed from an SEC doormat into one of the darlings of the college basketball world. They've scrapped and fought for respect from their counterparts

    In the red corner, the champion, Apollo Creed!

    The Memphis basketball team is UT's antithesis, having always been a part of the college basketball elite. Since the 1970s, the U of M has participated in two Final Fours and three Elite Eights, respectively. Couple that with the multiple NCAA Tournament appearances for the Tigers, and the comparison between the two teams isn't even close.

    Tennessee has only competed in 15 NCAA Tournaments in its history. They have never made it to a Final Four. But with the recent success of the program, there is reason for optimism.

    The last two contests of this series are spot on with the plotline of 'Rocky' and 'Rocky II.' The upstart underdog (UT) gets a shot at the flashier, more experienced fighter (UM). They go toe-to-toe for the duration of the fight, only to see the champ prevail by a slim margin (UM won 88-79).

    'Rocky II' shows the upstart getting a second chance at the title, and he (UT) takes advantage by knocking the proverbial Goliath (UM) out (UT won 76-58).

    The personalities of these teams are even on-par with those of the film. Players such as former walk-on JaJuan Smith and Kentucky afterthought Chris Lofton make up a gritty Tennessee team. Their Rocky-like personality endears them to Big Orange Nation. The 'any team, any place, any time attitude' that Bruce Pearl instills in the Vols also commands favor from sportswriters and pollsters, alike. Heck, Bruce Pearl has enough motivational lines to keep Rocky's trainer, Mickey, busy long after 'Rocky III' (when they killed him off).

    Many college basketball fans can't help but root for Tennessee.

    Just like many college basketball fans can't help but root against the Memphis Tigers.

    Apollo Creed was a great fighter; he was the champ for a reason. But Apollo had an abrasive personality, much like this group of Tigers.

    The general reputation of the Memphis basketball team is a negative one. The near-brawl they got into with the Alabama-Birmingham students on February 16 only added fuel to the fire. Other off-court issues have pushed the on-court talent of the Tiger basketball team to the backburner.

    Fans enjoy a champ that has good reputation, and Memphis is on thin ice in that department.

    That's not to say UT is a spotless group of young men, but the Vols do keep their names out of the arrest reports.

    The teams now meet at a crossroads, with Memphis trying to stay undefeated and the Vols nipping at their heels. This rubber match is gathering as much ESPN hype as a third Balboa-Creed bout most certainly would have.

    Chris Douglas-Roberts, who is averaging 27.7 points per game over Memphis' last three outings, is ready to answer the challenge that is the Tennessee press.

    "We've got a good one ahead of us," Douglas-Roberts told ESPN.com. "We're evenly matched, it's going to be a good one."

    JaJuan Smith wasn't shy in describing the magnitude of this game, comparing it to a championship-like atmosphere.

    "It's the biggest game of my life," Smith said to ESPN.com. "But we're not going to treat it any differently than any game we've played all year."

    Come Saturday night, the biggest basketball game in the state of Tennessee's history will determine if Apollo still has it, or if Rocky is for real.