No. 8 Gonzaga looks to stay perfect at Tennessee (Dec 18, 2016)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After Gonzaga upped its season-opening winning streak to 10 games on Dec. 10 with a 61-43 win over Akron, coach Mark Few didn't sound like someone ready to bask in the glow.
"I live for the next game," he said. "I don't spend a lot of time looking back."
Few's next game takes him to a venue known more for hockey -- Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators. The No. 8 Bulldogs and Tennessee will meet Sunday in yet another test against a top 10 foe for the Volunteers (6-4) and the last stiff non-conference contest for Gonzaga (10-0).
Aside from an opening night loss to Chattanooga, the preseason favorite to win the Southern Conference, the list of Tennessee losses reads like a who's who of college basketball royalty. The Volunteers fell to then-No. 16 Wisconsin and No. 13 Oregon before Thanksgiving in Maui, then suffered a tough 73-71 loss last Sunday at No. 7 North Carolina after leading for most of the game.
This game also gives the Vols an opportunity for some revenge on the Bulldogs, who beat them 89-79 last December in Seattle.
"They're a terrific team," second-year Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. "They're always good, but people that see them a lot tell me they're Final Four good. It's a good opportunity, and we'll see what we can do."
The Vols are coming off a 92-77 win Thursday night over Lipscomb, outscoring it 43-19 in the second half after allowing 11 3-pointers in the first half. Freshman forward Grant Williams was the spark offensively with a career-high 30 points.
Williams' performance came a day after Barnes told him that he was disappointed because he was drifting outside too often offensively and not staying in the post.
"He expects more out of me and I should do a better job of that," Williams said. "Bringing it every night is something I should be doing and need to do a better job with."
Williams is Tennessee's second-leading scorer at 10.7 points per game while guard Robert Hubbs is pacing the team in scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.1). Lamonte Turner is contributing 10.1 points for the Vols, who are averaging 80.2 points and canning nearly 77 percent at the foul line.
Gonzaga counters with great balance and depth. All five starters average at least 9.4 points. led by guard Nigel Williams-Goss (13.4 ppg, 4.7 assists). Center Przemek Karnowski tallies 12.4 points and point guard Josh Perkins averages 11.7, sinking 22 of 41 3-pointers.
The Bulldogs also get 10 points per game off the bench from 7-0 freshman Zach Collins, who's canning almost 70 percent of his field goal attempts, and are averaging 82.7 points despite their season-low output against Akron.
Few wasn't terribly upset with having to engage in a half-court grinder against the Zips. After all, his team figures to face that style of play more than a few times in the West Coast Conference when they aren't dueling No. 20 St. Mary's or high-octane BYU.
"They push you to the limit physically," Few said of Akron. "They are a heck of a program. We didn't let our frustrations on offense bleed over to the defensive side."
