Tennessee Basketball: Looking at the week ahead

The No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers will remain at the top of the college basketball world after another perfect week. It was a week where the Vols returned to form a bit, add two blowout conference wins on the road over South Carolina and Texas A&M.

Admiral coming around?

Last week’s look ahead column focused on the struggles of Admiral Schofield. He responded this week with 24 and 14 point performances, shooting 16-31 from the field. He still hasn’t gotten his three point range back, but Schofield was much more effective this week working in the paint. He attacked the rim and his offensive production spiked — so did Tennessee’s margin of victory.

Jordan Bone is turning it up

It seems like point guard Jordan Bone is getting better each and every game. He may have just strung together two of his best games since he’s been at Tennessee, powering the Vols to blowout wins on the road.

Bone’s hot shooting certainly made a difference in both games last week. The junior guard went 7-9 from three point range, adding 19 assists in that span. In a game against South Carolina where Tennessee was without Jordan Bowden, Bone absolutely had to step up. He did that, and then some.

Once again — why is Tennessee playing at this level? Look no further than the play of Bone.

Here’s what’s up next.

Missouri at home

Cuonzo Martin will return to Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday night. Missouri snapped a three game skid on Saturday against Vanderbilt, who is still looking for their first conference win of the season. The Tigers have won just two games since facing the Vols in January.

Tennessee got punched in the mouth early against Missouri in their last meeting, but quickly dug out of that hole and buried the Tigers in the second half. The Vols should be substantial favorites heading into Tuesday’s matchup.

Florida at home

The Gators sit at 4-4 in conference play, struggling to find consistency at this point. Florida picked up a nice win over Ole Miss, but came up short against Kentucky in Gainesville on Saturday. They now face a week featuring games against Auburn and Tennessee.

Florida’s hot shooting kept the Gators in the game against Tennessee in their first matchup, something that will be tough to replicate. Florida ended up with 32 shots from long range on that day, connecting on just 12 of them. Once the shots stopped falling, the Gators were done. Tennessee took control late, following Admiral Schofield’s dagger three pointer from the corner.

The Gators could really use this game on their resume if they plan on attending the NCAA Tournament this year.