Miami Hurricanes vs. Tennessee Volunteers Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 10th 2024
Preview and Prediction
With five nonconference games still left on his team's schedule, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes has the latest top-ranked team in the nation ready for the challenges of Southeastern Conference competition.
The Volunteers (8-0) will return to the court on Tuesday night as they bring their No. 1 ranking to New York City for a showdown against Miami in the Jimmy V Classic.
Tennessee has dominated its opponents this season, earning the top spot in the polls after previous No. 1 Kansas suffered two losses since Wednesday.
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The Volunteers' closest victory was a 15-point win over then-No. 13 Baylor on Nov. 22 in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas title game. In the 77-62 triumph, Tennessee held a 47-20 lead at halftime and never faced a threat, despite being outscored by Baylor 42-30 in the second half.
Transfer guard Chaz Lanier, who joined the team from North Florida, showcased his shooting abilities in the Bahamas and continued to shine last Tuesday in a 96-70 home win over Syracuse in the SEC/ACC Challenge.
A 3-point specialist from Nashville, Lanier went 4 of 10 from beyond the arc and tallied 26 points as the Volunteers used a 10-0 run in the first half to take a 45-35 lead at halftime and never looked back against the Orange.
Lanier converted 44.0 percent of his 241 attempts from 3-point range for North Florida last season, averaging 19.7 points per game.
Lanier gave credit to teammate Zakai Zeigler for helping him fit in with the Volunteers.
"He just makes the game so much easier," Lanier said. "He's a leader both on and off the court, and in the locker room. He shares his knowledge with me and gives me great insight into the game."
After making the Final Four two years ago, the Hurricanes (3-6) are looking more like their 2023-24 squad rather than the one that reached the national semifinals in 2023 before falling to eventual national champion UConn.
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Miami enters Tuesday's game on a six-game losing streak.
To make matters worse, their most recent defeat came on Saturday in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener at home, where coach Jim Larranaga's team trailed by one point at halftime and ultimately lost 65-55 to Clemson.
Miami shot just 41.1 percent from the field and went 4 of 25 from beyond the arc. Leading scorer Nijel Pack (14.1 points) was held scoreless and missed all seven of his shot attempts, all of which were 3-pointers.
"We tried to get him going, but it was just one of those nights," Larranaga said of Pack, who is shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range. "I have to give credit to (Clemson's) Jaeden Zackery because he's a bit taller than Nijel and weighs 30 or 40 pounds more, making him very physical."
For the past two seasons, Larranaga has noticed a lack of continuity that has led to losses.
"Last season, we had so many injuries that we lacked chemistry, despite having players returning from the Final Four team," the coach said. "This year, we are missing a key player in Kiree Huie. We need another big guy to help with rebounding."