Three Keys and a Prediction: Vanderbilt Basketball vs. Tennessee

NASHVILLE---Is this the day for Vanderbilt basketball?

Vanderbilt lost to Tennessee at Memorial Gymnasium a few weeks back, but has had this circled on the calendar and has hoped for redemption ever since.

“The best thing about it is that we’re gonna play them soon,” Vanderbilt forward AK Okereke said postgame. “That’s all that’s on our mind, really. We’ll focus on the next game first and then we’ll play them again.”

Here's three keys and a prediction ahead of Saturday's game in Knoxville.

Can Vanderbilt get itself back?

Vanderbilt has been good, but not elite.

Can this be the day that Vanderbilt puts it all together again, plays a complete game and looks like a second-weekend team again? Can this be the evidence that this group didn’t peak early?

Ever since this group ran Kentucky off the floor at Memorial Gymnasium, it’s been good. It hasn’t looked second weekend good, though. It looked that way in that game, its win over Mississippi State and its loss to Florida. Since then, it hasn’t quite looked like the same team that it was when it was undefeated and had just knocked off Alabama.

If this is the day, this is what Vanderbilt has been waiting for since at least mid February.

Hold Tennessee to a reasonable rebounding number

Tennessee will be more physical and has a better frontcourt than Vanderbilt does, it will likely outrebound it. That’s okay, though. This just can’t get out of hand.

Last time, Tennessee outrebounded Vanderbilt by less than 10 and didn’t impose its will on the interior. That was almost surprising considering Tennessee is No. 1 in the country in offensive rebounding.

Tennessee has put together some sporadic play on the defensive end, though.

Backcourt play

Tennessee will probably win in the frontcourt, Tanner will probably be marginally better than Gillespie.

The difference?

Vanderbilt guard Duke Miles and sharpshooter Tyler Nickel have to outplay Tennessee’s wings. Bishop Boswell, Ethan Burg and Amari Evans. Tyler Nickel has to get right. He’s shooting just 6-for-34 from 3-point range in Vanderbilt’s last four games. So does Duke Miles. Vanderbilt is 2-2 since Miles’ return, shooting 44% from the field and 29.4% from 3-point range. Miles is averaging 13.5 points per game since his return, but is shooting just 34.7% from the field. The Vanderbilt guard is making 37.5% of his shots from 3-point range since his return.

Whether they can get right is going to be what defines this group on Saturday.

Prediction: Tennessee: 72, Vanderbilt: 68

Vanderbilt just hasn’t been quite sharp enough recently to garner much external belief in it winning this game. It hasn’t won much at Thompson-Boling, either. It’s talented enough to do it, but it hasn’t done it recently.