The Tennessee Volunteers are out to bounce back in a big way after a crushing loss at the hands of rival Kentucky last weekend. The loss left the Vols just one game ahead of both LSU and Kentucky in the race to win the SEC regular season title, and Tennessee cannot afford another defeat if it wants to claim an outright title. This week, Tennessee is going on the road to face the LSU Tigers, and Grant Williams is looking to have a better outing than he did against the Wildcats. Online sportsbook BetDSI is once again asking whether Williams will secure a double-double.
Will Grant Williams record a double-double against the LSU Tigers?
Yes +300
No -350
Williams has not had many double-doubles this season, but he picked one up on Tuesday night when the Vols took on Vanderbilt. In that game, Williams went 7-of-13 from the floor and snared 11 rebounds to secure his sixth double-double of this campaign. It’s very possible that he was out to prove himself against the Commodores, as he mustered just four shots in 35 minutes against Kentucky, and that led to some criticism after the fact.
There is no denying that Williams has the athleticism to pick up a double-double against most teams in the country. He has been named to the all-SEC team in each of his first two seasons in Knoxville, and he is probably the most polished big man in the conference at this point. Williams is a traditional big that only shoots from outside occasionally, and his presence near the rim has led to him leading Tennessee in rebounds.
However, he doesn’t pick up as many rebounds as you might think. While he has put up double digit points in all but two games, he has only grabbed 10 or more rebounds in six games, and he finished with a double-double in each one. That means the big question here is whether or not he will get to 10 rebounds.
LSU has not been great on defense this year. The Tigers rank 75th in adjusted defense in the country according to Ken Pomeroy, and they play at a fast pace so that should increase the likelihood that Williams picks up some defensive boards.
He will be at a bit of a height disadvantage though. LSU’s top two big men have at least a few inches on him as freshman Naz Reid is 6’10 and senior Kavell Bigby-Williams is 6’11, while Williams checks in at only 6’7. Williams does have a big body and is great at getting position, but those inches might hurt him in this endeavor.
After another somewhat disappointing performance against Kentucky, I think Williams will have a chip on his shoulder. He won’t want to come up short in another huge conference game, so I’m going to go with the ‘Yes’ here. It’s not the best play according to his past performances, but this is where using some qualitative analysis kicks in.
