Tennessee basketball is hosting the surging Georgia Bulldogs in a Top 25 matchup Wednesday.
The No. 6 Vols (15-1, 2-1 SEC) welcome No. 23 Georgia (14-2, 2-1), which has won back-to-back games against Top 25 opponents before facing Tennessee on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
This is what to know about the matchup:
Felix Okpara has taken a jump since SEC play began and is playing his best basketball of the season.
The Ohio State transfer is averaging 8.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in three SEC games, both increases from his season averages. He has scored at least seven points in each game.
“It has just been about finding the opportunities to get rim shots,” Vols assistant coach Lucas Campbell said. “It is just finding his spots.”
The 6-foot-11 Okpara grabbed seven rebounds at Florida and nine at Texas. He has continued to be a force defensively and blocked three shots in each of the past two games.
For the second straight game, Tennessee will face one of the freshman stars in the SEC.
Asa Newell is Georgia’s first-year phenom after the Vols saw Texas’ Tre Johnson on Saturday. The 6-11 Newell is averaging 15.4 and 6.8 rebounds.
“He looks really comfortable in college basketball, which is a hard adjustment to make in college basketball,” Campbell said.
Newell was the No. 12 prospect nationally in the 247Sports Composite. He has scored at least 13 points in every SEC game, including a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double against Ole Miss.
Georgia is ranked in the USA TODAY coaches poll and Associated Press poll at the same time for the first time since March 10, 2023.
The Bulldogs are ranked No. 23 in both polls this week after wins against Kentucky and Oklahoma under coach Mike White.
“They bring a different physicality,” Campbell said. “That is the main thing we have been hitting. They are a very physical team and we have to match that physicality.”
Tennessee and Georgia have some similarities in profile.
Georgia is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, grabbing 38.7% of its misses. It also has the No. 7 3-point defense as opponents hit 28% of 3-pointers. Likewise, Tennessee is No. 7 in offensive rebound rate at 39.5% and No. 1 in 3-point defense with teams hitting 24.8% from three.
The Bulldogs have the third-best rebounding margin in the SEC behind Florida and Texas A&M.
Tennessee is dealing with a handful of injuries.
Tennessee vs. Georgia airs on SEC Network at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Tennessee 63, Georgia 62: The Bulldogs are seriously good and tough, which will test Tennessee similarly to Florida in some respects. But Georgia doesn’t score as well as the Gators so the Vols win this game.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
