Knoxville, TN (My Sportsbook) - The 10th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC are set to host the Austin Peay Governors of the Ohio Valley Conference in the season opener for both squads.
Considering the fact that Austin Peay lost to Central Missouri in exhibition play last week, there is some reason for concern. The Governors earned 19 victories last season, but a first round exit in the NIT left coach David Loos and his squad with a sour taste in their mouth. With the loss of some key players, it will be interesting to see how this year's group responds in this opener.
Bruce Pearl is 98-37 through four years at Tennessee, and he figures to add many more wins than losses in 2009-10. Pearl's club was bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Oklahoma State a year ago, finishing with a 21-13 record, and a similar result this season would be a major disappointment.
Tennessee has won all seven of its previous meetings with Austin Peay.
Austin Peay senior Wes Channels will be looked upon to lead this squad, both in this opener and all season. The guard is coming off a tremendous year in which he averaged 16.5 ppg and led the team with 3.1 apg. Tyrone Caldwell and Caleb Brown join Channels in the backcourt, and Caldwell proved to be a dangerous shooter in limited time on the floor a season ago. He averaged just under 16 minutes per contest, but still shot 44.4 percent from the floor and posted an impressive 40.6 percent effort from behind the arc. The frontcourt does not possess much depth, unfortunately, and that is a major area of concern. With no player on the roster over 6-8, the Govs will most likely have trouble collecting rebounds against bigger teams, such as Tennessee.
Speaking of the Vols, they are loaded with talent at all positions, and this team has the potential to make a Final Four run. Versatile forward Tyler Smith is coming off a junior season in which he averaged 17.4 ppg and 5.8 rpg. While Smith is the star of the group, he has a wealth of talent around him, as the Vols didn't lose a significant contributor from last season's squad. Wayne Chism is a big-time forward who posted 13.7 ppg and 8.0 rpg, showing flashes of dominance at times. Chism can score on the interior and shoot from the perimeter, making him awfully tough to cover. J.P. Prince is a swingman who netted nearly 10.0 ppg last season, and Scott Hopson checked in with 9.2 ppg from the backcourt. Bobby Maze rounds out the group of returning starters with 8.2 rpg and 3.2 apg, and all those mentioned will share the ball against Austin Peay.
