Tennessee emphasizing defense against upset-minded Oklahoma
Tennessee forward J.P Estrella knows the path for the team's success for the remainder of the Southeastern Conference regular season and beyond -- defense.
Estrella and the Volunteers, tied for third in the conference standings, host Oklahoma in their only regular-season meeting on Wednesday night in Knoxville, Tenn.
A 6-foot-11 redshirt sophomore from Scarborough, Maine, Estrella has emerged as an offensive leader, scoring the third-most points per game (9.7) and a team-leading 61.6% field-goal shooting.
However, Estrella said coach Rick Barnes would stress that defense dictates the Volunteers' success (18-7, 8-4 SEC).
"Defensively, we just (need to get) stops," said the big man after beating LSU 73-63 at home Saturday. "Finishing with rebounds and then keeping attacking offensively."
Freshman forward Nate Ament, who produces 17.7 points and a team-best 6.4 boards, has developed his game along the way.
"I love playing with Nate," Estrella said. "He's getting more physical by the day. One thing that stands out about him is just pushing through things and how he's been able (to handle) everything. ... We've been needing him in games like these."
Tennessee is tied 27th nationally in averaging 27.5 defensive rebounds.
One thing Barnes' squad cannot do is underestimate the Sooners (13-12, 3-9). Although near the bottom of the standings, Oklahoma is coming off a 94-78 home blowout of Georgia on Saturday in a game that included a delay caused by a popcorn machine catching fire.
A week earlier, Oklahoma, which had to ride out a nine-game losing skid, shocked then-No. 15 Vanderbilt 92-91 in Nashville.
A two-game winning streak over a pair of programs above them in the standings is a sign of better times for the maroon-clad Sooners, who used an 18-0 run to defeat the Bulldogs.
Oklahoma guard Nijel Pack, a key sharpshooter for Miami in the Hurricanes' 2023 Final Four run, is still hitting long-range shots (16 points per game, 43.2% on threes), just now around the SEC instead of near South Beach.
"We really got better this week (in practice)," Pack said. "Luckily, in the game of basketball, we get a lot of opportunities. We still have a chance playing in the best league in the country. ... We continue to get better as we get closer to March."
Xzayvier Brown edges Pack, netting a team-best 16.1 points, while Tae Davis adds 13.