Top-ranked Tennessee looks to continue one of the best starts in school history when it hosts Middle Tennessee on Monday night in nonconference play at Knoxville, Tenn.
The Volunteers (11-0) can move into a tie for the second-best start with a victory over the Blue Raiders. The 14-0 opening stretch in the 1922-23 season is the school’s top beginning to a season.
Tennessee concludes nonconference play against Norfolk State on Dec. 31 and the only test it has received thus far came in a 66-64 road win at Illinois on Dec. 14.
The Volunteers have won seven games by more than 20 points, topped by last Tuesday’s 84-36 rout of visiting Western Carolina. Tennessee’s scoring margin of 25.2 is second best in the country.
The Volunteers also rank second in scoring defense (55.9 points per game) and lead the nation in field-goal percentage defense (33.9).
Tennessee blanketed Western Carolina in the first half to 15 points on 13.5-percent shooting in the first half. The Catamounts didn’t have a single two-point basket in the half. Overall, Western Carolina shot 21.9 percent from the field and 15.4 percent (6 of 39) from 3-point range.
“I don’t know if I’ve coached in a game where I don’t think they scored a two-point bucket in the first half,” said Volunteers coach Rick Barnes, who is in his 38th campaign as a head coach. “But they were just coming in shooting it. … Obviously, our talent was a major factor in the game.”
North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier continues to be a scoring force for Tennessee with a team-best 40 3-pointers while shooting a stellar 47.1 percent from long range. He had 19 points against Western Carolina and leads the squad with an 18.9 scoring average.
Floor leader Zakai Zeigler (11.4) is shooting only 38.2 percent from the field but the reigning Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year is again being a pest on defense while averaging a team-high 7.6 assists.
“Just competitive, like he always is,” Barnes said of Zeigler. “Pressing a little bit offensively, but he’ll be able to work that out.”
Middle Tennessee (9-3) has won four of its past five games, including a 67-65 home victory over Lipscomb on Thursday.
The Blue Raiders have been successful at defending the 3-point line all season, and Lipscomb was just 4 of 18 from long range.
Middle Tennessee lowered its defensive 3-point percentage to 24.4 percent — the same mark as the Volunteers in co-leading Division I through Saturday.
Jestin Porter fueled the win over Lipscomb with 14 points and eight rebounds. Essam Mostafa added 12 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.
Porter said the club’s habits have been a key during the recent run of success.
“We’ve been watching a lot of film and we’ve all locked in over these past few games,” Porter said.
Porter is averaging a team-best 15.8 points while making a team-leading 31 3-pointers for the Blue Raiders, whose losses have come against Murray State, Bradley and Belmont.
Mostafa is averaging 13.2 points and a team-leading 8.9 rebounds, Jlynn Counter is at 11.1 points per game and Camryn Weston (10.7) also averages in double figures.
The Volunteers hold a 9-2 lead in the all-time series but Middle Tennessee won the last matchup in stunning fashion. The Blue Raiders scored the final 15 points of the contest as they scored a 71-64 road win in the second round of the 2012 NIT.
–Field Level Media
