Episode 143: Vols aiming to take down No. 1 Gonzaga

GoVols247's Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247’s Blount County Satellite Office) conversed as if in the same room thanks to the miracle of Al Gore’s Internets, and there was plenty of Tennessee basketball to break down heading into Sunday’s game between the seventh-ranked Vols and top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in Phoenix. Tennessee lost a golden opportunity in an overtime setback against second-ranked Kansas two weeks ago in New York, but the Vols get a quick opportunity to more than make up for that this weekend. It doesn’t look like the Vols will be a full-strength for the game, though, because Lamonte Turner is continuing to deal with a shoulder issue. How much will the absence of the reigning SEC Sixth Man of the Year hurt Tennessee against Gonzaga? Will the Vols continue to go with their new-look lineup of sophomore Yves Pons starting at the shooting guard spot, with junior Jordan Bowden coming off the bench? Is Tennessee having a full week to prepare for this game a good thing or a bad thing? Will the Vols look like a locked-in, veteran team in this big-game environment? And what, exactly, do the individual matchups between Tennessee and Gonzaga look like? There are so many subplots heading this huge game, and many of those subplots are discussed in this episode.