Vols-Mizzou preview, hoops talk, etc.

GoVols247’s full staff — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Ryan Callahan and Grant Ramey — convened at Fort Rucker Studio (except one segment at Thompson-Boling Arena) to discuss a Tennessee football team and basketball team that are … well … winning at the moment.The first segment of this episode is a general preview of this weekend’s Tennessee-Missouri game in Columbia, albeit with a few specific themes. Tennessee’s quarterback situation (of course), the nature of this evolving border-battle with the Tigers and some thoughts on how difficult this game is to predict are the main points.Following a quick injury update, the second segment of this podcast is a Thursday-morning pod staple — answers to questions submitted by members of GoVols247’s CheckerBoard. There were good football and basketball questions submitted this week, as usual, and also some of the hand-to-hand combat questions we’ve been getting for weeks now.Hoops takes center stage in the third segment of this episode. The 20th-ranked Vols had a business line, blowout win over Alabama State on Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling, with senior guards Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden fittingly reaching the 1,000-career-point mark on the same night.Much of the Tennessee basketball news at the moment is rose-colored, but not all of it. The wait for an answer from the NCAA regarding the eligibility of talented 7-foot-1 forward Uros Plavsic continues, and news emerged Wednesday night that sophomore big man Zach Kent (another 7-footer) has “stepped away” from the program for non-disciplinary reasons, and it’s unclear whether he’ll return. Discussion of the Kent situation and its impact on the Vols’ frontcourt is also included in the third segment.The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.