Texas basketball looks to keep its Cinderella SEC Tournament alive on Friday afternoon when it squares off against the No. 4 seeded Tennessee Volunteers in Nashville.
The Longhorns firmly reside on the NCAA Tournament bubble, with ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi placing them as the 'Last Team In' the current field. Personally, I believe Texas ends up on the outside looking in on the field of 68 if they aren't able to muster up a competitive performance against the Vols.
The Rocky Top faithful will be out in full force on Friday, as Bridgestone Arena is under a three-hour drive from Knoxville. Head coach Rodney Terry and his team must play through the noise to pull off a third upset in as many days.
Let's take a look a three players primed to impact the outcome of the "UT" battle.
After four years at the University of North Florida, Chaz Lanier is ending his collegiate career as one of the most lethal scorers in the best conference in college basketball.
Lanier is a modern-day marksman, knocking down 40.3 percent of his 8.4 3PA's this season. In the Vols' 25 wins, Lanier averaged 19.1 PPG on 43.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc. In their six losses, those numbers dip to 12.8 PPG and 28.3 percent from deep.
Texas fans are well aware of the incompetencies of a Rick Barnes offense. This Tennessee team is no different.
If Texas is to hang around in this game, they must make Lanier's life very difficult on the offensive end of the floor. You cannot allow him open threes or you'll find yourself in an unwinnable game of catch-up.
After missing virtually all of SEC play with a hip injury, junior guard Chendall Weaver has been the spark Rodney Terry's squad has needed in Nashville.
In two SEC Tournament games, Weaver is averaging 5.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 21 minutes, though his impact goes much deeper than the box score. Weaver's energy and tenacity on both ends of the floor add a fire this rotation was missing over the last two months.
No one doubts the talent of this Texas team, but too often they are caught watching as the opposition dives after loose balls or elbows them out of the way for a rebound. Weaver is one of the few Longhorns who consistently makes the hustle play that contributes to winning basketball.
On Wednesday against Texas A&M, his motor and aggressiveness were much needed down the stretch. Against a Tennessee team that plays with a high level of grit and physicality, it will be up to Weaver to set the tone for the burnt orange.
Jahmai Mashack is the heart and soul of Tennessee basketball.
The senior averages just 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, but his work on the defensive end of the floor makes him one of the biggest X-factors in college basketball.
Mashack will likely get the task of guarding Texas freshman Tre Johnson. In the Jan. 11 meeting between these two teams, Johnson found his way to an efficient 26 points. You better believe that game tape has been seared into the minds of the Vols (specifically Mashack).
Expect Mashack to come out incredibly aggressive on the defensive end of the floor against the freshman. He will look to use his physicality to his advantage, pushing Johnson off his spots and making every catch difficult.
Mashack is the type of tone-setter who can demoralize an entire team. Texas must match his energy and physicality if they want a shot at upsetting the No. 4 seed.