Tennessee basketball vs Vanderbilt prediction: Rick Barnes on first game vs Mark Byington

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Tennessee basketball has its first clash with Vanderbilt and new Commodores coach Mark Byington on Saturday.

The No. 6 Vols (16-1, 3-1 SEC) play at Vanderbilt (14-3, 2-2) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network) at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville.

Here is what to know about the matchup:

Mark Byington rebuilt Vanderbilt’s roster with transfers

Byington started over when he was hired as the Vanderbilt coach after a successful stint at James Madison. He brought in 10 transfers to remake the roster, rounding out the group with two freshmen and one returner. JQ Roberts is the only returner from the 2023-24 team.

Guard Jason Edwards, who transferred from North Texas, averages 17 points and is shooting 37.5% on 3-pointers. Guard AJ Hoggard, a Michigan State transfer, averages 11.1 points and a team-best 4.3 assists. Devin McGlockton, a former Boston College forward, is averaging 10.9 points and 8.2 rebounds. He had the game-winning three-point play against South Carolina on Wednesday.

“I think he has done a great job going into the portal quickly and getting guys the way he wants to play,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said.

Vanderbilt plays a turnover-centric game

Vanderbilt balances being terrific at taking care of the basketball and making sure opposing teams do not.

The Commodores commit turnovers on 14.3% of possessions, which ranks No. 17 nationally, according to KenPom. They are even better at forcing turnovers; getting opponents to commit turnovers on 23.2%, the ninth-best rate. They lead the SEC in steals with 179 and are third nationally with a steal rate of 14.9%.

“They are very aggressive,” Barnes said. “They create a lot of havoc. A really heavy, heavy gap team. They really go for steals. They really turn you over.”

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Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Publish date : 2025-01-17 16:25:00

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