Tennessee vs. UT Martin: Game information, lineups, notes

Tennessee will return to its home floor for the first time in nearly two weeks for a Wednesday matinee.

The No. 7 Vols (6-0), fresh off of an impressive showing in The Bahamas where they beat Virginia and Baylor in back-to-back days to win the Baha Mar Championship, host UT Martin (2-4) at Food City Center in their last tune-up before the ACC/SEC Challenge vs. Syracuse next week.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Tennessee has dominated through the month of November. The Vols rank second in defensive efficiency, holding opponents to 89.4 points per 100 possessions according to KenPom and are 10th nationally in scoring defense, holding teams to just 58.0 points per game.

On the offensive end, Tennessee’s scoring production has seen little drop off after the departure of Dalton Knecht for the NBA. Transfer Chaz Lanier has made an immediate impact, leading the team in scoring with 17.7 points per game through six games.

Lanier sparked the Vols’ second half rout of Virginia and then scored 25 points in the first half against Baylor the next day, helping the Vols’ out to a commanding lead that they held the rest of the way.

The Skyhawks, who have lost four-straight games since starting the season 2-0, are tied for 171st in points allowed, giving up more than 70 per game and are averaging 73.7 points on the offensive end.

Here is a closer look at the match up.

Who: UT Martin (2-4) at No. 7 Tennessee (6-0)

When: Wednesday, Nov. 27 | 4 p.m. ET

Where: Food City Center | Knoxville

TV: SEC Network+ (Myan Patel, play-by-play; Steve Hamer, analyst)

Radio: Vol Network (Bob Kesling, play-by-play; Bert Bertelkamp, analyst)

Series: Sixth meeting all-time (Tennessee leads, 5-0)

KenPom Projection: Tennessee 86, UT Martin 52

POINTS PER GAME

Tennessee 82.2

UT Martin 73.7

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Tennessee 53.%

UT Martin 40.0%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE

Tennessee 41.1%

UT Martin 28.7%

ASSISTS

Tennessee 17.2

UT Martin 14.5

REBOUNDS

UT Martin 42.7

Tennessee 36.8

BLOCKS

Tennessee 5.5

UT Martin 3.0

— Tennessee is down two contributors. Sophomore forward J.P. Estrella will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing foot surgery while sophomore guard Cam Carr is sidelined through at least the next four weeks with an injury. The Vols will lean heavily on transfer forward Felix Okpara and sophomore Cade Phillips in Estrella’s absence.

— Tennessee guard Darlinstone Dubar made his debut at the Baha Mar Championship and impacted the Vols’ rotation. The Hofstra transfer combined for 7 points and 23 minutes in two games, an early indicator of the impact he could have in the rotation going forward.

— UT Martin finished 21-11 and won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title last season. The Skyhawks are off to a 2-4 start in head coach Jeremy Shulman‘s first season with wins over Illinois State and Kentucky Christian and four-straight losses to North Alabama, Longwood, Texas A&M Corpus-Christi and Le Moyne.

— UT Martin guard Josue Grullon leads the Skyhawks in scoring through six games. He is averaging 18.2 points per game after transferring from Daytona State College. Grullon has scored 18 or more points in four of six games.