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Tennessee vs UTEP Gameday Thread

Tennessee and UTEP meet in the quarterfinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis

By Alex Nicolas

Tennessee Volunteers

Current Record: 3-1, 0-0 SEC

Coach: Cuonzo Martin, 43-29 3rd year at UT, 103-70 overall

Big Wins/L's so far: L@ Xavier 67-63

Team Stats

PPG 77.8
OPP. PPG 64.8
FG% .471
3-point% .444
FT% .694
RPG 37.8
APG 12.3
TO.PG 9.3

Key Players:

Jordan McRae Sr, G 6'6 185, 21.5 ppg, 3.0 apg, 45% 3-point, 6 blocks

Jarnell Stokes, Jr, F, 6'8 260, 11.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 5 blocks

Antonio Barton, Sr, G, 6'2 180 10.8 ppg, 9 assists, 2 turnovers, 8/13 3-point shooting

One, if not the best defensive teams in the tourney, their 3/12 free throw shooting in the first half against Xavier cost them their lone loss. Although they came out and knocked down 18/19 free throws last Friday against Tennessee State, which shows great improvement from a horrendous start . If you have been watching college basketball this year, you know how much more important converting free throw chances are. Barton has been lights out behind the three-point line, something UTEP fans know plenty about. Jordan McRae is one of the best players in the SEC and will be a guy to watch, as he is in the midst of Wooden Award run. The Vols boast size and depth, and will finish towards the top of the SEC.

UTEP Miners

Current Record: 3-2, 0-0 C-USA

Coach: Tim Floyd, 61-43 4th year at UTEP, 389-223 overall

Big Wins/L's so far: W Vs. Colorado State 82-74, L@ NMSU 86-73, L Vs. NMSU 77-68

Team Stats

PPG 74.8
OPP.PG 66.4
FG% .455
3-point% .365
FT% .697
RPG 39.2
APG 15.0
TO. PG 14.2

Key Players

Julian Washburn, Jr, F, 6'8 210

McKenzie Moore, Jr, G, 6'6 210

Vince Hunter, Fr, F, 6'8 220

The Miners are the underdogs as the lone Mid-Major school in the tourney. McKenzie Moore was dearly missed in Saturday's loss to NMSU. He did make the trip and is an important piece to the Miners success. The Miners will need huge production from John Bohannon who has had a disappointing year so far, to contend against a tough Tennessee team. UTEP needs to find and identity on offense, and will be tested on defense against some bigger, and quicker teams than their C-USA foes.

Make sure to stay tuned to MinerRush for more information on all things UTEP sports, and make sure to Follow @sbnminerrush on Twitter for live updates throughout the game. Picks Up, and Go Miners!