KNOXVILLE - For a team that has struggled at consistently stopping opposing players driving the basketball, Wednesday's 7 p.m. EST game at Ole Miss may be a good time for Tennessee to figure out how to do so.
The Rebels sport a four-guard lineup, led by Breein Tyree, the Southeastern Conference's leading scorer.
Tennessee (24-3, 12-2) has lost two out of three games after a program-record 19-game win streak, and in those losses being able to protect the interior has been an issue. Kentucky scored 36 points in the paint in an 84-67 win over the Volunteers on Feb. 16, and last Saturday LSU had 30 and featured guards Javonte Smart and Skylar Mays making unimpeded drives to the basket late in the game.
While Ole Miss (19-8, 9-5) likes to shoot the 3-pointer - 39 percent of its shots have been from long range - its guards are equally capable of breaking down their defenders if given the chance. Breakdowns defensively could lead to kickouts for open 3s, and only Auburn, Arkansas and Texas A&M in the SEC allow more 3s per contest than the Vols.
In conference play, only A&M's Aggies have allowed more 3s per game than Tennessee.
"We're playing a team that's had a great year - a team that's fast, a team that has the leading scorer in the league, and another one is playing great," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Monday. "We've got to get ready to play and move on. We've got a lot of respect for Ole Miss and what they're doing and the year they've had. That's where our focus has to be."
In addition to Tyree's 18.4 points per game, the Rebels get 15.6 from senior guard Terence Davis. Defensively, their lack of size makes them susceptible to opponents with size - they give up almost 11 offensive rebounds per game - and they are 10th in the league in field-goal-percentage defense and last in 3-point-percentage defense.
They try to make up for it by forcing steals and turnovers while playing primarily in a 1-3-1 zone that will allow for quick shots that will give the Rebels opportunities to get out in transition themselves.
The challenge for the Tennessee offense will be attempting to be a little more patient. It has failed to shoot 50 percent from the field in each of its last three contests and has departed somewhat from the steady ball movement and patience that at one point had them as the top assists team in the country. In the past three games the Vols have totaled only 34 helpers.
They did play well in the overtime loss to LSU, shooting 45 percent from the field, but lost on some mistakes late in regulation and in overtime.
If they can build on their overall solid performance heading into a sold-out environment in Oxford, that could lead to a much better result.
"I think these guys know that they'll come in, we'll look at it and do what we have to do," Barnes said of his team's maturity. "I know this, they want to win and they know it's not going to be easy. We just have to keep moving forward."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.