KNOXVILLE - Since having a 35-year streak of making a 3-pointer in every game ended by Tennessee in a 64-44 loss on Jan. 18, Vanderbilt has made at least eight 3s in four of its last eight games and handed LSU its first loss in Southeastern Conference play.
Meanwhile, the Volunteers (14-11, 6-6) have struggled with inconsistency, playing well in wins over Alabama and Arkansas - two teams hovering around the NCAA tournament bubble - but falling short in a surprising loss at home to Texas A&M and blowing a lead late in Saturday's loss against South Carolina.
Can the Vols get back on the right track in the Commodores' return meeting?
The two teams battle Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Thompson-Boling Arena, and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.
Vanderbilt (9-16, 1-11) is coming off an 84-66 loss at Florida on Saturday.
"I think Jerry (Stackhouse, Vanderbilt's first-year coach) has done a great job. I really do," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Monday. "When I watch them, I think his players have improved. Obviously, they went through a period where they were in a shooting slump and it hurt them.
"There's not one guy on their team that hasn't improved since we've played them. Again, I think that's a sign of terrific coaching and players that want to be coached. They have made it hard on everybody they have played. They obviously beat LSU when they were undefeated and number one in the league. They had Kentucky down at halftime. ... So you have to be ready to play, it's plain and simple.
"They have the ability and they have proved, even though they have the one (league) win, that they have played everybody tough. I guarantee when they sit down and watch tape, just like we do, they show the what-ifs and things they can certainly fix. I'm sure that's what he and his staff are trying to do."
Three keys for the Vols to win:
1. Defend the 3: The Commodores made nine and 11 3s in their two meetings with Kentucky, and they hit eight against Florida and knocked down 11 in the nine-point win over LSU. They have scored nearly 32% of their points from 3-point range in SEC play. Tennessee's ability to defend on the perimeter and take away driving lanes, which in turn doesn't allow kick-out opportunities for open 3s, is important.
2. Transition game: The first half of the first meeting between the two teams set basketball back 50 years, but in the second half the Vols blew the game open by getting stops on transition and getting out and running, which led to a number of easy baskets. The transition game begins with getting stops, but after that Tennessee should look to run because the execution of its half-court offense has left much to be desired as of late.
3. Guard contributions: In Saturday's loss, no guard other than Josiah-Jordan James performed well, and he wasn't great. Tennessee has relied on forwards John Fulkerson and Yves Pons to carry the load for much of the season, and while the two have answered the call more often than not, there needs to be somebody on the perimeter who contributes on a consistent basis. While being good in other areas of his game, senior Jordan Bowden has had struggles shooting the ball. Freshman Santiago Vescovi has been a great story as a midseason addition, but he struggled Saturday and had his worst game of the season in the previous meeting with Vanderbilt. The Vols will need somebody - anybody - to step up on the perimeter.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.