KNOXVILLE-Scotty Hopson and John Jenkins are the headlining stars for the big feature showing in Memorial Gym tonight in Nashville.
It’s the supporting cast that will carry either Tennessee or Vanderbilt to a Southeastern Conference basketball win, though.
“I’m a competitor, and I’m going to go at him if he’s on me, and I know when I’m on him he’s going to go at me,” Hopson said Monday. “He’s a sophomore, but he’s turned into a great player. I admire his game.”
Vanderbilt’s Jenkins (22.2 ppg) and Tennessee’s Hopson (19.2) are first and second in the SEC in scoring through 12 league games each.
A sharpshooting sophomore from Hendersonville, Tenn., Jenkins has scored 20 or more points in nine SEC games, including a game-high 21 in the Volunteers’ comeback win in the teams’ Knoxville meeting in January.