Vanderbilt vs Tennessee: SEC Tournament Battle

0:00On March 6, number 24, Vanderbilt heads to Knoxville on Saturday to face number 23 Tennessee in their regular season finale. The in-state rivals are battling for the number 4 seed and a double buy in next week's SEC tournament. Tennessee edged Vanderbilt 69-65 back on February 21st. Tennessee sits at 21 wins and 9 losses overall, 11 in 6 in conference play. They snapped the two-game skid with a 78-59 win at South Carolina on Tuesday. Reserve big man J.P. Estrella scored 22 points in that one, while star Nate Amman sat out with his brain ankle. His status remains unclear, though Coach Rick Barnes called him one of the toughest players he's coached. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt improved to 23 and 7, 10 and 7 in the SEC. They got a key guard Duke Miles back from injury for the first Tennessee game and just won an overtime at Ole Miss. Miles and leading scorer Tyler Tanner have been carrying the load lately, with Tanner dropping 34 points on Tuesday despite some flu issues.

1:05Earlier, guard Frankie Collins is no longer with the team. Both squads have health questions, but Tennessee ranks as the nation's top offensive rebounding team and loves physical play. Vanderbilt struggled with that in their last meeting, getting out rebounded and held to under 45% on two-point shots. Players like Jalen Washington and Tennessee's, Jalen Carey, could decide things inside. This revenge matchup shapes up as a gritty battle for tournament positioning, with both teams showing fight down the stretch.