Jacksonville St. @ Tennessee preview

No. 21 Tennessee looks to get back on track at home Saturday against Jacksonville State after back-to-back losses to No. 13 Memphis and Cincinnati - the last defeat leaving coach Rick Barnes seeking answers after he described his team’s performance as “mind-boggling.” A turnaround starts with better defense than displayed in Wednesday’s 78-66 road loss, after the Volunteers gave up 46 points in the paint and allowed Cincinnati to shoot 56.4 percent from the field.

“I’m really disappointed in our defensive breakdown,” Barnes told reporters after the loss, Tennessee’s second straight failed attempt to get him his 700th career victory. “I mean, it came from our older guys, too.” It was a shocking effort on defense for the Volunteers, who through 10 games have held opponents to 38.2 percent shooting from the field and an SEC-best 57.6 points per game. No Tennessee player grabbed more than four rebounds against Cincinnati, and the Volunteers finished with just 21 rebounds - 16.7 fewer than average. The Gamecocks have won two in a row following a four-game losing streak, routing Evansville on Monday before posting a 92-80 triumph over Delaware State on Wednesday.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT JACKSONVILLE STATE (4-7): Senior forward Jacara Cross scored 20 points against Delaware State and leads the Gamecocks in scoring at 11.5 on 65.1 percent shooting from the field. Sophomore guard De’Torrion Ware averages 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds, while junior guard Derek St. Hilaire scored 18 points and shot 9-for-9 from the free-throw line Wednesday. Jacksonville State averaged 59.3 points during its losing streak but has averaged 88.5 points across its two victories this week.

ABOUT TENNESSEE (7-3): Junior forward John Fulkerson scored a team-high 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting against Cincinnati and is averaging 11.4 on 66.2 percent shooting from the field. Senior guard Jordan Bowden leads the Volunteers in scoring at 12.9 points and is shooting 85.2 percent from the free-throw line, while senior guard Lamonte Turner averages 12.7 points (despite shooting 29.3 percent from the field) and a team-best 6.7 assists. The Volunteers were held to 47 points against Memphis and 66 against Cincinnati, after scoring 72 or more six times in their first eight games.

TIP-INS

1. The Volunteers had allowed more than 63 points just once in their first nine games before surrendering 78 on Wednesday.

2. Fulkerson has scored in double figures in three of his past four games, shooting 23-for-38 from the field in that span.

3. Tennessee junior G/F Yves Pons is averaging 2.1 blocks per game, ranking among the SEC leaders.

PREDICTION: Tennessee 83, Jacksonville State 62