As Thursday turned into Friday, Tennessee looked as dominant as it has all season at a ballroom-turned-basketball court in Nassau.
The No. 11 Vols went from a slugfest with Virginia to an all-out rout down the stretch, running away with a 64-42 victory to punch their ticket to the Baha Mar Championship Game where they will play No. 13 Baylor on Friday.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
Chaz Lanier was the catalyst behind Tennessee's (5-0) second half surge, scoring a game-high 26 points while Igor Milicic Jr. scored 14. It was banner night for the Vols' defense, too as they held the Cavaliers to under 30% shooting and Jahmai Mashack made leading scorer Isaac McKneely virtually a non-factor.
Baylor, meanwhile, had a more eventful night. The Bears (4-1) were taken to the brink by No. 22 St. John's, going to double overtime and trailing in the final seconds before Jeremy Roach hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to cap a 99-98 victory.
The nightcap between Tennessee and Baylor will offer up an early-season challenge for both teams. The Bears will be the first ranked team that the Vols have played this season, while Baylor has split top 25 games against Gonzaga and Arkansas.
Here is a closer look at the match up.
GAME INFORMATION
Who: No. 11 Tennessee (5-0) vs. No. 13 Baylor (4-1)
When: Friday, Nov. 22 | 9:30 p.m. ET
Where: Baha Mar Convention Center | Nassau, Bahamas
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: Vol Network (John Wilkerson, play-by-play; Bert Bertelkamp, analyst)
Series: First meeting
KenPom Projection: Tennessee 74, Baylor 71
PROJECTED LINEUPS
NUMBERS EDGE
POINTS PER GAME
Baylor 88.4
Tennessee 83.2
FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE
Tennessee 53.4%
Baylor 47.1%
THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE
Tennessee 40.2%
Baylor 39.1%
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Chaz Lanier is a truly elite scoring threat for Tennessee
ASSISTS
Baylor 19.4
Tennessee 17.0
REBOUNDS
Tennessee 42.0
Baylor 39.8
BLOCKS
Tennessee 5.8
Baylor 4.0
PREGAME NOTES
-- Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier reached one career milestone in his 26-point showing against Virginia on Thursday. He reached over 1,000 career points in four seasons and is back to being the Vols' leading scorer at 16.2 points per game.
-- Tennessee's defense was stellar vs. Virginia. The Cavaliers turned the ball over 18 times and the Vols held a 43-34 edge in rebounding, including 25 boards on the defensive end. Tennessee blocked seven shots, including three from Felix Okpara.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Tennessee runs away from Virginia in Baha Mar Championship
-- Tennessee is making 53.4% of its shots from the field. That number is more than five percent higher than Baylor is allowing its previous five opponents to score. The Bears average 88.4 points per game while the Vols are allowing just 57.2 points through five games.
-- Baylor's roster is headlined in scoring by 6-foot-7 forward Norchad Omier, who is averaging 15.4 points per game, while guard Jeremy Roach averages 13.6 points. Both players scored 24 an 20 points, respectively against St. John's on Thursday.
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