Tennessee Volunteers

No. 22 Tennessee seeks regular-season sweep vs.Vandy (Jan 23, 2018)

Published Jan. 22, 2018 10:29 p.m. ET

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AP

The last time Tennessee's Grant Williams faced Vanderbilt, the sophomore forward poured in a career-high 37 points in a 92-84 win.

Williams and the 22nd-ranked Volunteers get another crack at the Commodores on Tuesday at Thompson-Boiling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee (13-5, 4-3 SEC) bounced back from a road loss against Missouri with a strong showing in a win at South Carolina on Saturday. Sophomore guard Lamonte Turner scored 25 points and Williams added 14 points for the Volunteers, who have won four of five overall.

"We'll have our hands full with their physicality and their aggressiveness," Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew said of Tennessee.

Vanderbilt (7-12, 2-5 SEC) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 77-71 win over LSU on Saturday. Riley LaChance scored 26 points and Jeff Roberson finished with 20 points for the Commodores, who shot 51 percent from the floor.

"They've got shooters," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said of Vanderbilt on Monday. "They run good actions, get movement, and get into it."

Vanderbilt is winless on the road this season (0-5) but has had success at Tennessee. The Commodores have won their last three trips to Knoxville, but they will need to find an answer for Williams and Admiral Schofield on the inside to have any chance at making it four in a row.

"You look at Williams and Schofield and they're just naturally gifted, physical athletes," Drew said. "I think if they were playing football or any type of sport, they would seek out contact.

"They move their feet well enough that they can play with contact, get the ball, get to spots on the floor. And they play much bigger than their size because of their strength."

Williams and Schofield dominated in the paint, combing for 59 points and 16 rebounds in the Vols' 92-84 win at Vanderbilt on Jan. 10. The Commodores threw a variety of double teams and different defensive looks at the Tennessee big men, but nothing seemed to work, especially in the second half."

Barnes is expecting Vanderbilt to again come at Williams with consistent double teams.

"I think they'll continue to double team him at times," Barnes said. "I can see them playing more zone and things like that. ... We expect them to make a lot of adjustments."

A second straight big performance from Turner would be a good sign for the Vols. Barnes has been harping on getting more production from players other than Williams and Schofield.

Turner answered the challenge against South Carolina, but still has to prove he's capable of playing under control and making good decisions in back-to-back games.

"I thought (Turner) went into the South Carolina game with a different mindset," Barnes said. "He has a tendency, and I told him this yesterday about this game, that every time he has a big scoring game, he comes back and thinks that's what he has to do every game, and he ends up getting himself back to the bench."

With a win, Tennessee would claim its first regular-season sweep over Vanderbilt since 2012-13.

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