Hogs Need Better Plan Than Baylor's to Beat No. 1 Tennessee

Sharpshooter Lanier leads a talented, undefeated and explosive Volunteers team

Tennessee Volunteers 6-foot-5 guard Chaz Lanier smiles while dribbling between his legs against Norfolk State at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Tuesday. Lanier led the Vols with 24 points in a 67-52 victory. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Baylor coach Scott Drew had a game plan when his team played Tennessee seven weeks ago. But, like former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson said, "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face."

Tennessee's knockout punch -- make that five of them -- were all landed by Chaz Lanier. The Vols' best shooter needed just seven seconds to bury his first 3-pointer. When he was 5-for-5 from beyond the arc, only 3:52 had expired.

By then, the Vols had seemingly won by a technical knockout. They led 16-2 and the teams hadn't even paused for the first TV timeout. Drew was exasperated.

“The one guy we said, 'don't give him an open three,’ had 15 points in the first four minutes," Drew said.

The onslaught continued against the helpless Bears -- it would've been stopped by a boxing ref -- and Tennessee led 47-20 at intermission of the Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas.

What would Drew tell the Razorbacks if he offered a scouting report? Beware of number 2 in white, he'd say, and be up in his jersey 30 feet from the hoop. But you'd better watch out for about six other guys too.

Lanier is a native of Nashville, Tenn., a fifth-year senior transfer from North Florida University in Jacksonville where he averaged 19.7 points last season for a 16-16 team, the Ospreys' best record in four years. He was ranked the No. 8 player in the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-5 guard is the SEC's second leading scorer at 19.62, just behind Texas' Tre Johnson at 19.73. Lanier leads the league with 51 made 3-pointers and 111 attempts and is second in draining 46% from distance.

Lanier finished with 25 points against Baylor, one less than he netted versus both Virginia and Syracuse. He gives the Vols a long-distance threat that spreads the defense and opens passing lanes while taking pressure off his teammates.

Zakai Zeigler is one of the nation's best point guards. The 5-foot-9 speedster leads the SEC in assists at 8.1 and is third on the Vols in scoring at 10.7 His experience and leadership make him the glue of the nation's No. 1-ranked team.

Jordan Gainey is Tennessee's second-leading scorer and a potential front-runner for SEC Sixth Man of the Year. The 6-foot-4 senior scores 11.8 a game, just above Zeigler and ahead of 6-foot-10 senior Igor Milicic Jr., who played a year at Virginia and the last two at Charlotte.

ESPN basketball commentator Seth Greenberg compared Milicic to Tennessee's best player last season, Dalton Knecht, the SEC Player of the Year and No. 1 draft pick of the Lakers.

"I call him Dalton Knecht 2.0," Greenberg said. "Same concept. Elite scorer, great range, (the team can) play through him, toughness." Milicic can play all over the floor and is second on the Vols in assists.

The Hogs are not without stars who can lock down on defense -- remember Drew's warning about number 2 in white! -- and score at the rim or from deep. Foremost among those are 6-foot-8 slasher Adou Thiero, the aggressive junior with the mindset, determination and skill to take over a game. He's seventh in the SEC in scoring at 17.83 and second in shooting at 62%.

Boogie Fland, the Hogs' 6-foot-2 freshman point guard, is second in the SEC behind Zeigler in assists with 6.18, second is assist/turnover ratio at 3.33, and tied for 13th in scoring at 15.92. He can also take over a game and score in spurts when the Hogs are searching for a spark.

DJ Wagner, the Hogs' strong 6-foot-4 guard, will likely get draw the assignment on Lanier. He leads the SEC in minutes per game (33.76), just ahead of Fland and Zeigler. Barring foul trouble, Arkansas coach John Calipari and Tennesse bench boss Rick Barnes might treat this like an NCAA Tournament game and only rest their star guards for two minutes or so.

Arkansas and Tennessee have played three common opponents:
* Illinois: Beat Arkansas 90-77 in Kansas City and lost by two at home to Tennessee.
* Miami: Lost to Arkansas 76-73 at home and lost 75-62 to Tennessee in New York City.
* Baylor: Beat Arkansas 72-67 in Dallas and lost 77-62 to Tennessee in the Bahamas.

No. 23 Arkansas will face its toughest test of the season with a talented Tennessee team backed by 21,000 orange-clad fans in Thompson-Boling Arena. Saturday's noon tip will be televised by ESPN. The Hogs will be underdogs to the No. 1 Vols (13-0), who have beaten every opponent except Illinois by at least 13 points.

Arkansas enters with a confident team of highly ranked recruits who are accustomed to winning. Saturday's showdown in Knoxville will provide an update on the Hogs' progress following their Dec. 10 win against then-No. 14 Michigan followed by intense practices and three easy wins.

Fland didn't flinch when asked after last game what he thinks of Arkansas' team: "I feel like we can go far, be special. We have a great group of guys. We’ve got every position we need. I just feel like nobody can stop us if we keep staying the course and trusting what coach is doing. You know, coach has been through it. He’s laying the blue print out for us. We just got to go get it."

HOGS FEED:

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• Hogs Expected to host ACC wide receiver for official visit

• Strong League Doesn't Scare Calipari, Chances to Pad March Resume

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