Vols Try to Stay Near Top of SEC Standings Against Red-Hot Oklahoma
Image: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
By Aidan Sidoti
Tennessee hoops is again at Thompson-Boling Arena at FCC on Wednesday night looking to keep pace near the top of the SEC standings, hosting an Oklahoma squad that suddenly looks nothing like the one that opened league play 1-9.
The Vols enter at 18-7 (8-4 SEC) and have won six of their last seven, while the Sooners arrive at 13-12 (3-9 SEC) riding their best stretch of the season.
Tennessee’s most recent outing was a 73-63 dark mode win over LSU, but the performance once again showed the Vols’ biggest issue: consistency. Tennessee led by 12 in the first half before watching that advantage evaporate in less than five minutes after halftime. LSU briefly took a 44‑41 lead with 14 minutes left, but freshman Nate Ament steadied the Vols, scoring nine of Tennessee’s final 11 points to close out the win.
That theme has followed Tennessee for two straight games. In Starkville last Wednesday, the Vols built a 23-point lead with 10 minutes remaining before completely losing control, giving Mississippi State an 18-0 run that cut the margin to five. Ament once again played closer, scoring eight of the final ten Tennessee points to secure a nine‑point victory.
Ament enters tonight looking for his tenth 20‑point game of his freshman season. The Manassas, Virginia native has topped 20 in five of his last seven outings and continues to be Tennessee’s most reliable late‑game scorer.
The Vols will likely be without redshirt sophomore forward JP Estrella, who is listed as doubtful on the SEC Availability Report with a lower-extremity injury. That means freshman DeWayne Brown II is expected to make his 11th start of his freshman campaign. Brown is averaging 5.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game, and while his last start at Kentucky produced just two points on 1-for-6 shooting, he grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
On the other side, Oklahoma has seemingly turned things around over the past week. After dropping nine straight SEC contests, the Sooners stunned No. 15 Vanderbilt 92‑91 in Nashville, then returned home and clobbered Georgia 94‑78. Oklahoma shot 59 percent from the field and 56 percent from three against the Bulldogs, including a massive 27‑4 second‑half run that blew the game open. It was the Sooners’ first win at Lloyd-Noble Center since January 3.
Tennessee fans may glance at the 11.5‑point spread and assume a comfortable night, but the timing of this matchup is tricky. The Vols have struggled to finish games, and Oklahoma is playing its best basketball of the season. If Tennessee’s lapses continue, this one could be far tighter than expected.
Tip‑off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
