Georgia basketball will try to finish its home schedule with a win on Senior Night against No. 13-ranked Tennessee.
The Bulldogs (6-23, 1-15 SEC) will tip off against the Volunteers (21-7, 12-4) at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Stegeman Coliseum (TV: SEC Network). They will be searching for their first win since upsetting No. 25-ranked Alabama on Jan. 25.
“The biggest thing is that [Tennessee] is like Kentucky in transition,” UGA coach Tom Crean said. “They get up the court incredibly fast with the three guards that they play. They’re a very big team so they’re putting fresh rim runners in all the time.
“So, transition defense is far and away the most important thing.”
Tennessee will also see its first action in Athens since its 67-62 upset of No. 3-ranked Auburn Saturday. Volunteer guards Santiago Vescovi and Kennedy Chandler lead the team, both averaging 13.6 points per game. Chandler also leads Tennessee in assists (4.7) and steals (2.2).
Georgia will look to leading scorer Kario Oquendo to match the vaunted Volunteer attack. The sophomore has become one of the SEC’s top interior scorers, and is displaying more skill from behind the 3-point line in recent action. The Florida Southwestern State transfer is 10-of-23 shooting in his last two games.
Oquendo is averaging 15.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game on the year.
UGA will honor graduate point guard Aaron Cook and senior forward Jonathan Ned during its Senior Night festivities. Cook, who played at Southern Illinois and Gonzaga before transferring to Georgia, will play in his 162nd collegiate basketball game Tuesday. Only two players in NCAA Division I history have more career games played.
Ned transferred to Georgia following two years at Eastern Florida State College, where he averaged 9.7 points per game. The 6-foot-9 talent averaged 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game last season, and has seen limited action this year due in part to a preseason injury.
Georgia, 61-97 against Tennessee all-time, is a 16-point underdog.