Chattanooga @ Tennessee preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 11, 2016 ) Chattanooga 82, Tennessee 69

After rolling over Alabama State 76-41 at home on Wednesday, No. 17 Tennessee puts its unblemished record on the line Monday night when it hosts state rival Chattanooga. The Volunteers have dominated the Mocs over the years 33-6 but are looking to avenge an 82-69 loss when these teams last met in the 2016 season opener.

Only three Volunteers remain from that matchup and two have emerged as stars - senior guards Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden, both of whom joined the team's elite 1,000-Point Club during the victory over Alabama State, becoming the 51st and 52nd members, respectively, to surpass 1,000 career points. “Their growth has been amazing and both of them are very hard working, great people," head coach Rick Barnes told reporters afterward. "They’re the kind of people that you want to be around every day. I don’t know if they ever have a bad day. Those guys have been as big a part of the success we’ve had the last couple years as the guys we lost.” The Volunteers are riding a 29-game home winning streak, the longest active streak among Division I teams, and no opponent has finished closer than 15 points this season at Thompson-Boling Arena, with Alabama State held to the fewest points (41) of any foe this year. That defensive effort by the Volunteers may not bode well for a Chattanooga team that comes off its lowest total in a road game since February 2018 as the Mocs were routed by Florida State 89-53.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (3-2): Graduate transfer Matt Ryan has scored in double figures in every game this season, including back-to-back 20-point efforts before totaling 10 in the loss to Florida State. Guard David Jean-Baptist, who leads the team in scoring with 16.4 per game, topped the Mocs with 15 points against the Seminoles but he missed all four long-distance attempts, an off night for the 42 percent 3-point shooter. The Mocs defense allowed the Seminoles to enjoy a season-high shooting the ball as Florida State hit 52.3 percent from the floor and 40 percent from 3-point range.

ABOUT TENNESSEE (4-0): Bowden (team-high 17.5) and Turner (12.8) are two of the team's four double-figure scorers, with Yves Pons (15.0) reaching double-digits in every game thanks to hitting a sizzling 66.7 percent of his shots for the year. Forward John Fulkerson (10.8) is coming up big of late with two consecutive games in double figures, a first for the redshirt junior's career, and he leads the team with a 70.8 percent success rate. Fulkerson also leads the way with 7.0 rebounds per game but Josiah-Jordan James pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds against Alabama State, the first time a Volunteer has had 10 or more boards this season.

TIP-INS

1. Turner enters Monday ranked third in the nation in assists per game (8.5).

2. No team has scored more than 63 points against Tennessee this season.

3. The Volunteers have grabbed 161 rebounds compared with 135 for their opponents.

PREDICTION: Tennessee 80, Chattanooga 63