2015 SEC Tournament Preview: No. 7 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Tennessee

Game 5 of the 2015 SEC tournament features two in-state rivals as the No. 7-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores take on the No. 10-seeded Tennessee Volunteers in Nashville. This game will tip off on Thursday, March 12, at 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

Vanderbilt has won its last five games in a row, including one in Knoxville over Tennessee, en route to a 19-12 ( 8-10) record. Vandy is about one win away from making it to the NIT, and a trip to the SEC Tournament finals from being a potential bubble team.

Tennessee, on the other hand, has surprisingly struggled at home this season despite playing far better than most expected. At 15-15 (7-11), the Vols have great wins over the Butler Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks, Kansas State Wildcats and LSU Tigers, but only won two SEC games at home. With such a strange statistic like that, the Vols should be more comfortable playing on the road in Nashville for the SEC tournament.

The winner of this game will face Arkansas in the quarterfinals. Arkansas won’t be pleased to face either of these teams, as they split their series with the Vols and pulled away late at home against Vandy. Both of these teams have a legitimate chance at beating the Razorbacks in the next round, meaning that the game between these two rivals will be hotly contested with so much on the line.

The key in this game will be containing scoring from the perimeter. Tennessee’s zone allows for opponents to take threes, and Vanderbilt is arguably one of the best three-point shooting teams in the SEC. Riley LaChance has yet to have a good game against the Vols, but another perimeter shooter stepped into his place both times. Donnie Tyndall has to stress to his player to contest on the perimeter, or it could get ugly for the Vols.

The Commodores will understand that Armani Moore and Josh Richardson going to get their points, but Vandy’s defense will only have success if it can contain Robert Hubbs, Derek Reese and, most importantly, Kevin Punter. Kevin Stallings may be a little hot headed, but he’s one of the best coaches in the nation when it comes to coaching his team up and preparing them for a predictable team.

It’s hard for me to call this game, because both teams are better than their records suggest. Expect a close one in Nashville, with the winner being whoever can reach 60 points first.

Taylor Sturm is a Featured Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.