Game day breakdown: No. 15 Kansas basketball at No. 18 Tennessee

Kansas guard Marcus Garrett (0) looks to make a move against Tennessee guard Yves Pons (35) during the second half, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2019 at Allen Fieldhouse.

No. 15 Kansas Jayhawks (11-5 overall, 5-4 Big 12) vs. No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers (11-3 overall, 5-3 SEC)

Time: 5 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021

Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn.

TV: ESPN | Radio: IMG Jayhawk Radio Network

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Keys for Kansas

1. Another boost from the bench. The Jayhawks got a big lift from the bench in Thursday night’s home victory over TCU, and it will be interesting to see how much of that carries over into this one.

Tyon Grant-Foster and Dajuan Harris were two of KU’s best players in the second half, and both contributed heavily to helping Kansas snap its three-game losing skid.

They also both started the second half, bringing energy, athleticism and an all-out effort to both ends of the floor.

Regardless of whether they start again at Tennessee, their mentality needs to be the same. Not only would it serve them and the rest of the team well, but it also would set an example for others, whether that be Tristan Enaruna or struggling starters Jalen Wilson and Christian Braun.

2. Pass, protect and play with purpose. It’s going to be tough for Kansas to match Tennessee’s athleticism and energy, which makes playing with poise all the more important.

The Volunteers are known for their defense — ranked second nationally in KenPom.com’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings — so the focus should be on the Kansas offense and how it attacks the Vols.

The Jayhawks aren’t likely to deviate too much from what they’ve done so far this season. They’ll look to take open 3-pointers. They’ll try to get David McCormack going inside. And they’ll look for driving lanes to the rim whenever possible.

But in the process of doing all of those things, KU has to put a premium on valuing each possession.

Avoiding turnovers is part of that. Tennessee’s defense is forcing an average of 17 turnovers per game so far this season. But it goes beyond that: The Vols also are allowing opponents to score just 59.3 points per game and are holding opponents to less than 40% shooting from the field (39.4) and barely 30% (30.8) from 3-point range.

“They’re great defensively,” Kansas coach Bill Self said Thursday night. “And a team that didn’t get to 20 (in the first half vs. TCU) is going to play a team that only gives up (59) a game for the year. So we’re going to have to play a little bit better offensively.”

One area the Jayhawks could emphasize is the offensive glass. Not only did Kansas grab eight offensive boards against TCU, but Tennessee also gave up 15 in its recent win over Mississippi State. KU’s offensive rebounding numbers have been a key factor in its success so far this season.

3. Keep Tennessee’s guards on the perimeter. The Kansas defense has been inconsistent in a couple of key areas this season, and both of them have been weaknesses lately for Tennessee.

The first, 3-point shooting, is something the Volunteers have struggled with in recent games, making just three of 19 from the outside in this week’s win over Mississippi State and three of 18 in a loss to Florida last week. The Vols squeezed a 9-of-22 showing in between those two outings, but that came in a loss to Missouri.

For the season, Tennessee is shooting just 32.5% from 3-point range, and its lineup features just two players (Jaden Springer and Santiago Vescovi) shooting better than 31%.

Keeping the Tennessee guards and wings outside of the paint will be big in this one, provided the Jayhawks can rotate to shooters and get a hand up to challenge the 3-point shots the Volunteers do take.

The other area KU has struggled with is defending the entire shot clock. Even TCU on Thursday night was able to get to the rim late in the clock on several possessions. And if the Jayhawks allow that to happen in this one, not only will they be giving up easy buckets because of defensive breakdowns, but they also will be playing right into Tennessee’s hands.

The Vols want to use their length and athleticism to attack off the bounce. But that has not been a strength so far this season.

“I know they’re an athletic team,” McCormack said. “And a defensively sound team. So we’re going to have to make plays and we’re going to have to be defensively sound, as well.”

Marquee matchup: Kansas guard Marcus Garrett vs. Tennessee forward Yves Pons

Both players recently made the midseason watch list for the Naismith Award’s Defensive Player of the Year honor.

Both players have length, athleticism, strength and versatility that allows them to play and defend all over the floor.

And their teammates often look to them to carry the team through a rough stretch or spark a surge.

Pons has a little size on Garrett and tends to play inside more. But, like Garrett, he also has been known to guard the opposing team’s best player, regardless of position.

Whether he’s guarding leading scorer Ochai Agbaji, Garrett, or even Wilson or McCormack when they’re in the game, Pons figures to get his turn on several Jayhawks on the defensive end.

Pons enters this one sixth on the team in scoring (8.6 points per game), second in rebounding (4.8) and as Tennessee’s leader in blocked shots, with a whopping 27 through 14 games.

Garrett’s numbers — 10 points and five rebounds per game — are strikingly similar, except he focuses more on steals, with 22, than on blocks.

This game will be Pons’ third time playing the Jayhawks, against whom he has averaged 13 points and four rebounds per game in his previous two matchups. That includes last year’s game at Allen Fieldhouse — a 6-point Kansas win — in which he went off for 24 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Garrett grabbed 8 points, seven rebounds and four steals in that game.

Jayhawk pulse

There’s no denying that the Jayhawks want to win this game to build momentum for the home stretch. But Self said they haven’t been obsessed with preparing for it.

Prior to Thursday’s home victory over TCU, Self said that the Jayhawks had not spent any time scouting or preparing for Tennessee and that all of their prep would take place on Friday and this morning.

“This is one game that I can’t get too worked up (about) … from a standpoint of (putting) so much emphasis on winning this game,” Self said. “We haven’t given ourselves a chance, nor will we, to prepare in any way other than mentally to go play this game. Physically, we’re not going to be able to prepare for this game just because of the energy it took to play (Thursday night) and then the travel (on Friday).”

“We want to go win this game desperately,” Self added. “But (beating TCU) and winning on Tuesday (vs. Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse) is far more important to me.”

This year’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup marks the sixth meeting between these two programs, and Kansas has a 4-1 edge in the series. The lone Tennessee victory came in January 2010 in Knoxville.

KU is 5-2 in games played as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, which began in 2013.

Here’s an interesting note about this matchup: It features two coaches, Rick Barnes and Self, who rank seventh and eighth on the active career wins list.

Barnes, who has been a head coach for 34 years and is now in his sixth season at Tennessee, currently has 720 career wins. Self, who is in his 18th season at KU and his 28th overall as a head coach, can tie Barnes with a win in this one. Self enters the matchup with a career record of 719-219.

Adding to the interest around the head-to-head coaching matchup is the fact that Barnes has won against Self’s teams seven times. That ties with Michigan State’s Tom Izzo for the most times a coach has won against Self.

Although Tennessee’s arena seats more than 21,000, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited capacity this season to around 4,000 fans, and those who make it into the game appear to be in for a coin-flip contest. In addition to being ranked near each other in the polls, KU and Tennessee are at 18th and 19th, respectively, in the latest KenPom.com rankings. The KenPom model predicts that Tennessee will win, 66-64. KenPom gives KU a win probability of 43%.