Tennessee and Louisiana will square off on Friday after opening their seasons against non-D1 opponents earlier in the week.
This is a pretty compelling early season game as both teams won their respective conferences in the ’17-18 regular season. Tennessee finished with a 26-9 record and narrowly lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Loyola Chicago while Louisiana amassed a 27-7 record and lost a contentious NIT game to LSU.
The Vols are projected to return to the top of the SEC since almost all of their contributors have returned from last season, including Grant Williams, who was the Player of the Year in the conference. The only meaningful departure was James Daniel who served as an offensive spark plug and shooter off the bench.
The Ragin Cajuns will likely take a small step back after losing some key pieces, but they should still contend for the Sun Belt regular season title.
Frank Bartley, their leading scorer, and Bryce Washington (their leading rebounder) have both graduated as has Jonathan Stove, who also averaged double figures.
Luckily, JaKeenan Gant and Malik Marquetti have returned and should take major steps forward offensively. Senior point guard Marcus Stroman is also back for his final season and gives Louisiana a reliable and experienced floor general.
Louisiana’s roster is filled with former SEC players which could add some intrigue to the matchup. JaKeenan Gant played for Missouri, Marcus Stroman played for South Carolina, and Cedric Russell is a former LSU commit.
Let’s look at some things to watch for in this game.
Game Details
- Louisiana at No. 6 Tennessee
- Location: Thompson-Boling Arena – Knoxville, TN
- Game Date: Nov. 9
- Game Time: 7 p.m. EST
- Watch: SEC Network
Players to Watch
Jakeenan Gant (Louisiana)
Gant is Louisiana’s leading returning scorer, and he should be their best player as a senior.
The former four-star recruit averaged 5.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Missouri and saw his production dramatically increase when he moved to the Sun Belt.
Gant posted 13.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season and could reach 16-17 ppg as a senior.
He is an athletic big man who can also face-up and knock down perimeter jump shots. The Gant/Williams matchup will be fascinating to watch.
Admiral Schofield (Tennessee)
Schofield was overshadowed at times by Williams, but he deserves serious recognition in his own right.
He is a burly wing whose versatility is a perfect fit for the modern game. The 6’6’’ senior can defend multiple positions, hit long-range shots, and mix it up inside.
It would not be surprising to see Schofield in the NBA next season as a small ball power forward. He averaged 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and shot 40 percent from three last season.
Jordan Bone (Tennessee)
Every SEC fan is well aware of Grant Williams by now, so I’d like to highlight an underrated Vol, Jordan Bone.
His numbers do not tell the full story as he was a major impact player on an excellent Tennessee squad. Bone averaged 7.3 points and 3.5 assists per game as the starter at point, but also showed an ability to create his own shot and to take care of the ball.
The 6’3’’ junior scored 18 points in Tennessee’s opener which could be a sign of things to come.
Game Outlook
- Spread: Tennessee – 16
- Over/Under: 149.5
- KenPom Projection: Tennessee, 93 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Tennessee, 88.7 percent chance to win
Tennessee will be the obvious favorite, but Louisiana could keep it closer than many expect. The Ragin Cajuns are still a potential top 150 team, and this quality of team is usually very competitive in buy games.
It is worth noting that the Vols may be without scoring guard Lamonte Turner who is questionable after missing the opener.
While he is an essential piece for the upcoming season, Tennessee should still be able to pull through without him. However, Tennessee’s backcourt will have to stay out of foul trouble.
I would be remiss to not mention Jordan Bowden and Kyle Alexander’s production. Bowden is an athletic guard who can also space the floor while Alexander is a long and energetic shot blocker. Both players will start and provide significant contributions.
It will be interesting to see how Louisiana fares against the elite Tennessee defense. Last season, they could have leveraged their elite offensive rebounding to exploit Tennessee’s weakness on the defensive glass (281st in KenPom in 2018), but Bryce Washington has graduated.
Washington was an elite offensive rebounder and a consistent double-double threat. Gant and Justin Miller are strong offensive rebounders in their own right so they may be able to take advantage of this deficiency.
Nevertheless, I am picking Tennessee to avoid the upset.
Prediction: Tennessee 82 Louisiana 73