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The Tennessee Volunteers have one final tune up game before another couple of early season tests. Texas A&M Corpus Christi will be the Sunday opponent for the Vols, a full week before they take on the top ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs.
The Islanders head to Knoxville sitting at 4-3 on the year. Their schedule — well — has been fairly lackluster to this point. They hold wins over Howard Payne, Our Lady of the Lake, UT Arlington and St. Mary’s (TX). Their losses have come to UT Rio Grande Valley (twice) and UC Davis.
Their offense is paced by a couple of guards in Kareem South and Myles Smith. Each are averaging double-figures on the season to this point and have proven to be active in the rebounding department.
Tony Lewis (6-10) will man the post for the Islanders and will be asked to help contain Grant Williams down low. Lewis averages ten and five, along with a block per game this year.
Head coach Willis Wilson, a former Memphis assistant, is currently in his eighth season. It will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
For Tennessee, it’s another opportunity to experiment with their new starting lineup, which features sophomore Yves Pons. Jordan Bowden was the odd man out against Eastern Kentucky after a slow offensive start to the season.
Admiral Schofield got his shooting on track during that contest against Eastern Kentucky, which was a welcomed sight. Schofield had been off to start the season, but ended up shooting 8-9 from the field against the Colonels. Tennessee needs him to play at the level he was at during tournament season last year.
With another game to tinker around a bit, I’m interested to see if Jalen Johnson or Derrick Walker get any additional minutes. Those two haven’t played much, which is a bit of a surprise. Getting that depth ready to roll before conference play arrives couldn’t hurt.
There isn’t a spread for this one, but consider this. Tennessee sits at 12th in KenPom. Texas A&M Corpus Christi? 311th. The Vols will likely roll with ease here and get a week to prepare for the Zags.