Tennessee vs. Georgia preview and prediction

This Thursday, the Volunteers (16-5, 8-10 SEC) and the Bulldogs (18-13, 9-9 SEC) travel to Nashville, Tennessee, for the first round of the SEC Tournament. Tipoff for the game is slated for Thursday at 1 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

Tennessee comes into this contest having lost three of its last four games, but winning its most recent game against Alabama in stunning fashion. The Volunteers erased a 16-point deficit to get win their final game of the season. Going into the half, the Crimson Tide shot over 50 percent from the field and were 7-9 from beyond the arc. Tennessee was shooting just 20 percent from the field and went 1-12 from long range.

The script completely flipped in the second half as Alabama shot 1-8 from 3-point range and the Vols got hot from long range and shot 6-11. Tennessee, led by freshman forward Grant Williams, stormed back on a 16-2 run with 18 minutes left. Williams led the Vols with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. He also got help from senior forward Lew Evans and sophomore forward Admiral Schofield, who both tallied double-digit points in a 59-54 win on senior night.

Senior guard Robert Hubbs III heads into Thursday’s game as the leading scorer for Tennessee, averaging 13.9 points per game. Hubbs has been struggling recently for the Vols, as he has only scored a combined 14 points in his past two games. However, the slack has been picked up by Williams, who is catching up to Hubbs’ scoring output 12.8 points per game. In the past two games, Williams has had a combined 32 points, 24 rebounds and seven blocks.

Georgia comes into this game having won three of their last four, with the one loss coming in a blowout against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the final game of the season. The Bulldogs were able to hold the Razorbacks to hitting just 5 of their first 15 shots of the game but allowed them to make 9 of the next 13 going into half, allowing Arkansas to take a 38-37 lead into the break. Georgia shot just 25 percent from the field coming in the second half, resulting in the Razorbacks trampling the Bulldogs 85-67 in Fayetteville.

Although Georgia lost their final game of the season, one thing has been consistently good for them: senior guard JJ Frazier. Frazier still managed to throw up 24 points and snag four rebounds in the loss to Arkansas. He has been on a hot streak lately, scoring over 20 points in his last five games. In fact, Frazier has only scored under points in three games the entire season. He’s tied with teammate Yante Maten for third in the SEC in points per game. However, Maten injured his knee in the Bulldog’s game against Kentucky on Feb. 18 and hasn’t played since. Sophomore forward Derek Ogbeide has stepped up for Georgia and has filled Maten’s role well, scoring double-digit points in his last three games, including a double-double against Auburn.

Overall, the Volunteers and the Bulldogs are in two different spots going into Thursday’s competition. Tennessee essentially has nothing to lose and their NCAA tournament hopes have been all but spoiled. On the other hand, Georgia still remains on the bubble and could squeak into the big dance with a successful SEC tournament run.

Prediction

The Georgia Bulldogs will be completely different team from the one that beat Tennessee earlier in the season thanks to the loss of Maten. This should help the smaller Vols team be able to attack the rim a bit more. As they have recently, Tennessee will struggle in the first half shooting the ball and will allow JJ Frazier to take the game over going into halftime. From there, the Vols will not be able to recreate the second half they had against Alabama and will be sent home. Georgia will get a 73-62 win over Tennessee and will go on to play No. 1 seed Kentucky in the third round on Friday.

Edited by Quinn Pilkey

Featured image by Brad Blackwelder