Tennessee men vs. UNC Asheville at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville
Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019
TIME: 7 p.m.
VIDEO & RADIO: SEC Network + & 102.3 FM
Likely lineups (with heights in parentheses)
TENNESSEE
Starters
G Lamonte Turner (6-2); G Jordan Bowden (6-5); G Jalen Johnson (6-6); F Yves Pons (6-6); F John Fulkerson (6-9).
Key reserves
G Josiah-Jordan James (6-6); F Olivier Nkamhoua (6-8).
UNC ASHEVILLE
Starters
G Devon Batts (6-2); G Lavar Batts Jr. (6-3); G Tajion Jones (6-5); G LJ Thorpe (6-5); F Coty Jude (6-9).
Key reserves:
G Cress Worthy (6-2); F Luke Lawson (6-7).
Vols report
The Vols start a new era of sorts when they host the Bulldogs. Gone are most of the key players who won 57 games during the past two seasons, claimed a share of a Southeastern Conference regular-season title and advanced to last season's Sweet 16. Returners Bowden and Turner - both preseason second-team All-SEC selections - are joined by a solid mix of complementary role players and new arrivals.
Bulldogs report
Coach Mike Morrell's first team won four games, but he did a good job of changing the roster and adding some solid new pieces. Batts was the team's leading scorer as a freshman, while Jones - a Knoxville native - averaged 10.2 points per game. Batts, the top-ranked player in North Carolina coming out of high school, started his career at North Carolina State, playing in 30 games as a freshman before transferring.
Key matchup
The Bulldogs have some quality pieces at the guard position, much like the Vols, so Tennessee's first test with its new perimeter-oriented lineup will get a test right off the bat. The key to the game will be the production the newcomers can provide, namely James and Nkamhoua due to each player's ability to create mismatches at their respective positions.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.