Tennessee Aims for Eighth Win in Nine as Trip to Vanderbilt Awaits
Image: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
By Aidan Sidoti
Tennessee heads west to Nashville on Saturday afternoon looking to keep its late‑season surge rolling, entering Memorial Gymnasium with a chance to secure its eighth win in nine games.
The Vols, now 19‑7 (9‑4 SEC), are coming off an 89‑66 dismantling of Oklahoma on Wednesday night in Knoxville, a performance that showcased their most complete game on both, the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, brings a 21‑5 (8‑5 SEC) record into the matchup and is fresh off one of the wildest finishes of the SEC season. The Commodores trailed Missouri by 21 points with 8:33 remaining in Columbia before going on an absurd 36‑16 run to close the game. They nearly completed the comeback on a half‑court heave from Tyler Tanner off a steal as time expired, but the shot rimmed out and Vanderbilt fell just short.
Tennessee’s injury situation remains worth monitoring. Redshirt sophomore JP Estrella missed Wednesday’s win with soreness in his left foot, the same foot he had surgery on last season. Estrella, who is averaging 9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds across 23 games, pushed to play against Oklahoma, but the Tennessee staff held him out as a precaution. X‑rays came back negative, and he remains day‑to‑day heading into the weekend.
Saturday’s matchup also features one of the most intriguing individual battles of the SEC season. Vanderbilt point guard Tyler Tanner has been on a tear, averaging 18.6 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.5 rebounds while scoring 24 or more in four of his last five games. His assignment will be Tennessee’s defensive anchor Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who is coming off a historic night in which he set the program record with eight steals against Oklahoma. Gillespie also added 16 points and eight assists in the win.
Tennessee is a 2.5-point underdog after opening as 3.5-point dogs on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 148.5.
Tennessee has been the hotter team over the past month, and Saturday’s matchup carries significant weight in the SEC standings as both teams jockey for position entering the final stretch of the regular season.
Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN.
