Nkamhoua said moments after Tuesday’s rock-fight win over Mississippi State that he was looking forward to facing Kansas, but that he’d be just as excited to play any opponent. “So we just need to build that … that sense of urgency to prove ourselves to ourselves for ourselves, so that every night when we step on the court, we’re playing our best basketball, regardless of who the opponent is.” We just need to step out on on the court to prove ourselves every night, because if we have to rely on revenge-type motivation every night, then when we don't have it, that’s gonna be very bad. But I feel like we need to build that inner sense of. “It’s just extra motivation to win a game, and it's always great to have extra motivation. “That's an added, extra motivation,” he said. Tennessee sophomore forward Olivier Nkamhoua (Photo: Brianna Paciorka, Knoxville News Sentinel) Sophomore forward Olivier Nkamhoua played nine minutes off the bench for Tennessee last season in Lawrence, but the big Finland native said he wasn’t too focused on Saturday simply as a opportunity for revenge. I feel like this is a new team, they're a new team and it'll be a fun game to watch.” “I mean, last year was last year,” Johnson said. The freshman admitted to being really excited for the marquee matchup, but revenge isn’t something on his mind. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, to note that Johnson’s take on the Kansas game isn’t the same as Pons’ opinion. 4 recruiting class - a group headlined by five-star guards Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer, who have made a significant impact this season. Kansas, as usual, lost a lot of top talent but replaced it with plenty of other top talent, and Tennessee returned most of its nucleus while bolstering the roster with the nation’s No. Pons (24 points, seven rebounds, three blocked shots) and Fulkerson (15 points, 12 rebounds) were fantastic last season at the Phog, but both rosters have some differences from last season. That was a great game, and Saturday we're gonna try to get revenge.” “I'm really, really looking forward to it. It’s a great rivalry,” said Pons, the dominant defender from Fuveau, France. The Vols must supply most of that energy on their own - COVID-19 protocols allow less than 20 percent of the usual 21,678 occupancy of the Tommy Bowl - but Pons said that shouldn’t be a problem. 18 Tennessee hopes to return the favor against No. Tennessee missed multiple chances to get closer in the final two minutes, and the Jayhawks made enough play to hold on and win. Kansas, led mostly by now-pros Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike, didn’t buckle. The Vols, led mostly by Pons and fellow All-SEC veteran John Fulkerson, charged back, cutting the deficit to 69-66 on a Fulkerson layup with 2:15 left. Tennessee senior guard Yves Pons (Photo: Randy Sartin, USA TODAY Sports)įacing a really good team and an incredibly hostile crowd in one of the nation’s few arenas that matches Thompson-Boling Arena on the decibel meter, Tennessee trailed by seven at halftime and then by thirteen with less than 14 minutes left. It’s certainly a game that means a lot to the many Vols who participated in last season’s 74-68 loss at historic Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. Eastern (ESPN TV) matchup in the SEC/Big Challenge. The Vols and Jayhawks have grown from strangers to familiar adversaries.Įnough for Tennessee senior guard Yves Pons to use the word “rivalry” when talking about Saturday’s 6 p.m. Tennessee and Kansas will play Saturday night for the third time in three seasons and sixth time since 2010.
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