Show Me My Opponent, 2023-24: Mississippi State
Tennessee embarks on a trip to the Isle of Dogs
After welcoming the other team from Mississippi to its friendly confines on Saturday, Tennessee leaves the state for their first true road game since late November to play Mississippi State. On one hand they’re 11-3 with their usual elite defense under Chris Jans; on the other this is their first game against a team in the KenPom top 50. The previous high: #56 Northwestern.
The good news for Tennessee here is pretty easy to read, which is that they have actual road experience already this year. They played November road games for the first time since 2016 this year, multiple of them. State is 28th in KenPom at the time of writing and they’re somehow only the sixth-best opponent Tennessee has played to date. How much that matters is always up to debate, but having survived the Trohl Center and having battled back fairly well in Chapel Hill it’s not unreasonable to think they won’t be that rattled by, uh, The Hump.
Tennessee’s history with Mississippi State under Rick Barnes suggests a slog of a game where the first team, if either, that touches 65 points wins. State’s performance and offensive intentions this year would suggest otherwise, but in the seven combined Q1/Q2 games they’ve played 60 points would’ve been enough to win. A higher-scoring game benefits Tennessee and your eyeballs; a lower-scoring game benefits a pack of Bulldogs who are 19-4 when holding the opponent below 60 under Jans. Me personally, I’m rooting for the eyeballs.
BEHIND THE WALL ($): less discussion about eyeballs