KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For the third time this season, No. 3 Tennessee will take on an ACC opponent Saturday, as the Vols host Wake Forest in Thompson-Boling Arena for the second game of the home-and-home series.
The game will tip at noon and will be televised on ESPN2. It can also be streamed online through WatchESPN. Fans can listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action. Tickets for most remaining Tennessee home games are available at AllVols.com.
Tennessee (9-1) won the first game in the contract, 79-60, at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum last year. Jordan Bowden dropped a team-high 17 points behind a perfect 5-of-5 performance from deep. Admiral Schofield finished with 14 points and six boards in the contest. UT is 2-0 against its other ACC foes this season, defeating Georgia Tech at home and beating Louisville in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Wake Forest had a slow start to the year but has started to pick up momentum during the last few weeks. The Demon Deacons (6-3) enter Saturday’s game off a win against a good Davidson team that will compete for a conference title. WF’s leading scorer on the season is junior guard Brandon Childress, averaging 16.8 ppg along with 4.3 apg.
The Vols are currently riding a five-game winning streak. On Wednesday night, the Big Orange came out on top against Samford, who is enjoying one of its best starts in program history. Jordan Bone finished with 24 points and 11 assists–both of which were career highs–and accounted for 47 total points. He’s one of only three Vols all time to post 20 points and 11 assists in a game, joining Allan Houston and Tony Harris.
THE SERIES
• Tennessee leads the all-time series with Wake Forest 10-2, dating to 1947.
• Dating to 1967, the Volunteers have won four straight in this series. Tennessee was ranked in the AP top 25 for three of those four games.
• The Vols are 110-99 all-time against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
A WIN WOULD…
• Extend Tennessee’s win streak to six games.
• Extend UT’s home win streak to 15 games. It’s the longest such streak of the Barnes era.
• Preserve Tennessee’s perfect record this season at Thompson-Boling Arena.
STORYLINES
• This is the second game of a two-year, home-and-home contract.
• Wake Forest sophomore center Olivier Sarr is one of Yves Pons’ best friends, and they talk almost every day.
• 2018 SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams (Charlotte) and sophomore wing Jalen Johnson (Durham) are both North Carolina natives, as is Rick Barnes(Hickory).
• This is the 10th ACC game the Vols have played during the tenure of fourth-year head coach Rick Barnes. Tennessee is 6-3 in the previous nine.
• During his 32 seasons as a head coach, Rick Barnes has guided his teams to 105 total weeks in the top 10.
• Many UT students are gone during this holiday break. Tickets for most remaining Tennessee home games are available at AllVols.com.
LAYUPS
• Grant Williams leads the SEC in scoring (19.4 ppg), ranks second in field-goal percentage (.571), fourth in rebounding (8.3 rpg) and seventh in assists (4.4 apg). He also owns the team’s best plus-minus (per 40) rating at +21.27.
• Reigning SEC Player of the Week Admiral Schofield is the SEC’s second-leading scorer (19.0 ppg). He has made multiple 3-pointers in each of UT’s last seven games, with 22 makes during that span.
• Jordan Bone scored a career-high 24 points Wednesday vs. Samford, and his 11 assists led directly to another 23 points.
• Guard Lamonté Turner remains sidelined with a left shoulder injury and has appeared in only three games this season.
• Forward John Fulkerson missed Wednesday’s game vs. Samford with a left shoulder injury but is likely to be available Saturday.
ABOUT WAKE FOREST
• The Vols complete a two-game, home-and-home series with coach Danny Manning and Wake Forest on Saturday.
• Last season, Tennessee traveled to Winston-Salem and captured a 79-60 win, its fourth straight victory in the series and ninth overall.
• From last year’s squad, Wake Forest lost its top three scorers, including Bryant Crawford and Doral Moore to the NBA Draft. Overall, the Demon Deacons had to replace 77.8 percent of their scoring from last season.
• With the departure of several upperclassmen, junior guard Brandon Childress (16.8 ppg, 4.3 apg, 3.4 rpg) is the Demon Deacons’ most productive returnee, leading the team in scoring and assists. Sophomore Chaundee Brown (10.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg), who produced four 20-point games in his first year on campus, will also take on an expanded role this season.
• Wake Forest added six newcomers to its roster, highlighted by a pair of highly-rated freshmen forwards in Jaylen Hoard (15.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Isaiah Mucius (8.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg).
• The Demon Deacons (6-3) enter the game coming off a win over Davidson on Monday night, 67-63. Away from home, Wake Forest is 2-2 on the season and 0-1 when playing on the road.
LAST MEETING VS. WAKE FOREST
• After a slow start on Dec. 23, 2017, the 21st-ranked Tennessee Volunteers rode a hot second half to defeat Wake Forest, 79-60, at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
• The Vols shot 59 percent (17-of-29) from the field in the second stanza as part of a 43-25 lopsided score over the Demon Deacons in the period. Tennessee got its best production from its starters, as a group, this season, as all five reached double-digit scoring to get another road win heading into Southeastern Conference play.
• Guard Jordan Bowden continued his streak of strong performances, dropping a team-high 17 points behind a perfect 5-of-5 performance from deep. Admiral Schofield finished with 14 points and six boards in the contest.
• Jordan Bone took over the game in the second half, using his elite speed and elusiveness to get to the basket or create open shots for his teammates. He tallied 12 points and five assists. Forwards Kyle Alexander and Grant Williams both posted 11 points each.
• After making it a two-possession game with 6:40 left in the contest, UT used an 8-4 run over the next three minutes of play to take a 69-60 lead into the final media timeout.
• Out of the break, the Vols got a huge stop on defense and responded with a Schofield trey from the top of the key to make it a 12-point advantage. The Vols ended the game on a 16-2 run to give the Big Orange their second road win of the season over an ACC opponent (also won at Georgia Tech on Dec. 3).
• Despite a sloppy first half, Tennessee entered intermission with a 36-35 lead over the Demon Deacons behind 46-percent shooting from the floor.
PONS CLOSE WITH WAKE’S SARR
• One of Tennessee sophomore Yves Pons’ closest friends is Wake Forest sophomore center Olivier Sarr.
• Both grew up in France, and they often played against one another before becoming teammates at INSEP Academy and on the French National Team.
• Pons said the two talk with one another nearly every day, as they are both going through the same experiences as international student-athletes.
LITTLE RICKY FROM HICKORY
• A native of Hickory, North Carolina, Rick Barnes has lined Tennessee’s schedule with several opponents located in his home state over the last three-plus seasons.
• Saturday’s Wake Forest clash is UT’s ninth game against a North Carolina-based school during the Barnes era. The Vols are 6-2 vs. teams from his native state.
TENNESSEE RANKS AMONG NATION’S BEST, STATISTICALLY
• Tennessee ranks second in the country with 21.2 assists per game.
• The Big Orange also rank among the top 10 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3rd, 1.74) and blocks (11th, 5.8 bpg). The Vols rank 11th nationally in field-goal defense (.375).
• According to KenPom, Tennessee ranks ninth nationally in offensive efficiency.
• According to the NCAA’s new NET formula, Tennessee owns the nation’s No. 3 strength of schedule.
THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE CLUB
• Four different players on Tennessee’s roster have combined to record six double-doubles this season.
• Grant Williams leads the way with three. Admiral Schofield, Kyle Alexander and Jordan Bone each have one. Bone’s double-double was the of the points/assists variety.
• Interestingly, Tennessee’s Lady Vols also have four players who have logged double-doubles this season.
• Tennessee is one of only three “Power Five” schools with at least four players who have posted a double-double this season along with Iowa State and Michigan State.
ALEXANDER ELEVATES HIS OFFENSE
• Senior forward Kyle Alexander scored in double figures eight times during his first three seasons as a Vol. This season, he has recorded seven games of 10 or more points.
• The Canadian big man is shooting .623 from the field and averaging a career-best 9.6 points per game.
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