Show Me My Opponent, 2024 NCAA Tournament: (15) Saint Peter's

MAACtion

Tennessee begins their 2024 NCAA Tournament run by drawing a 15-seed opponent that ended a previous SEC team’s dreams just two years ago. Saint Peter’s beat Kentucky in an overtime classic, so naturally, everyone is looking at this like “oh okay interesting.” It gives me the same vibes anytime Appalachian State gets to play a top 10 team on the road to start the season in football.

This group is at least a little different, but not really. Bashir Mason (formerly of Wagner in the NEC) has a similarly nasty defense to Shaheen Holloway’s groups, but not quite as dominant in the paint. He has a similarly nasty offense, too, one that ranks 350th in eFG% and 359th in 2PT%. If you were just to copy the overall numbers you’d have trouble seeing that any sort of coaching transition happened post-2022.

The one key difference: that 2021-22 Kentucky team ended the year playing like the 163rd-best defense in basketball over their final ten games. Tennessee: 4th. It’s time for some fresh slop.

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