Tennessee basketball vs Virginia in the Bahamas: Prediction, picks, injury updates

Posted by Admin November 20, 2024 Basketball

Tennessee basketball is going into November tournament mode.

The No. 9 Vols (4-0) face Virginia (3-0) in its first game in the Baha Mar Championship on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network) in the Bahamas. They’ll play either Baylor or St. John’s in their second game Friday.

Here is what to know about the matchup:

Igor Milicic Jr. rolling before facing Virginia, a previous team

Igor Milicic Jr., who started his career at Virginia, is averaging 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in UT’s past two games. He had 23 points against Austin Peay after posting 18 points and 10 rebounds against Montana.

“We liked to see that he was confident, that he was aggressive, he was assertive,” Vols assistant coach Gregg Polinsky said Tuesday. “That was big for us in that game (against Austin Peay).”

Milicic played in 16 games, averaging 2.1 points in 6.3 minutes per game in his freshman season with the Cavaliers. He played two seasons at Charlotte before transferring to UT, where is averaging 14 points and 6.3 rebounds in 23 minutes per game.

Ron Sanchez was appointed UVa interim coach after Tony Bennett retired

Virginia is coached by Ron Sanchez, who was appointed the interim coach for the 2024-25 season after longtime coach Tony Bennett retired in October.

Sanchez was in his second stint as the associate head coach under Bennett before his appointment as interim coach. He returned to Virginia in 2023 after five seasons at Charlotte, where he coached Milicic in the 2022-23 season.

Bennett led Virginia to the 2019 national title and had a 364-169 record. The Cavaliers won six ACC titles and made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in 15 seasons under Bennett.

Virginia plays the slowest brand of basketball

Bennett retired but the brand remains the same: Virginia plays supremely slow basketball.

“I think we have the kind of team that can grind through possessions, which is what they do,” Polinsky said. “We know that they embrace using the shot clock.”

The Cavaliers have the third-slowest tempo in the nation as of Tuesday per KenPom. That is sticking with the longstanding theme of Virginia basketball as UVa ranked among the five-slowest teams in the nation in each of the final 10 seasons under Bennett.

Polinsky called Virginia a “well-oiled machine” that knows its identity and sticks to it on both ends of the court.

Tennessee vs UVa injury updates

Tennessee is dealing with a handful of injuries and ailments.

Forward J.P. Estrella did not play against Austin Peay due to a left foot injury. Estrella dealt with the injury during the offseason and played in the first three games but the injury lingered.
Guard Cam Carr suffered an apparent hand injury against Austin Peay and did not practice Tuesday.
Guard Chaz Lanier was limited in practice Tuesday with a migraine.
Guard Darlinstone Dubar has not played in the first four games while dealing with a personal matter. Dubar has practiced for the past week and was a full participant Tuesday.

How to watch Tennessee vs Virginia: Time, TV channel, live stream

Tennessee vs. Virginia airs on CBS Sports Network at 9:30 p.m. ET Thursday. Streaming options for the game include  FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Tennessee vs. Virginia score prediction

Tennessee 68, Virginia 57: The Vols have a lot more firepower than the Cavaliers, which will help them prevail in a slugfest matchup to open the tournament.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

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