Tennessee Vols Basketball: Purdue Will Be Biggest Test So Far

We all love the preseason publications. I read two of them from cover-to-cover on a yearly basis—usually in more than one sport.

When I read this season's Athlon basketball publication I was surprised to see how far they had Purdue going in March.

As a matter of fact, in their mock tournament they had Purdue defeating Tennessee in the Elite Eight, advancing the Boilermakers to the Final Four at the Vols' expense.

If that prediction is to hold true, it won't be the first time these two have met in 2009.

On Monday night, Tennessee will face Purdue in the finals of the Paradise Jam tournament in the Virgin Islands. Consider this the biggest test of the young season.

No. 7 Purdue features dynamic playmakers like JaJuan Johnson and great defenders like Chris Kramer. Guard E'Twuan Moore can light you up from anywhere on the floor, but the straw the stirs the drink is small forward Robbie Hummell. So good is Hummell he is considered one of the top three small forwards in the country.

Rivals.com actually has Hummell No. 2 and Tennessee's Tyler Smith at No. 3 on the Top 25 small forwards in the country. Talk about setting up nicely for an early season duel.

Tennessee struggled a bit against DePaul on Sunday, but was able to eke out a four-point win over the Blue Demons. DePaul played great defense all night and smothered the ball any chance they got. They held the Vols to a season-low 57 points.

Bruce Pearl hopes that was just a reflection of that defense and not the potential flaws in his offense.

Scotty Hopson has thus far been dynamic on the young season. Of course when you are playing the likes of UNC-Asheville, Austin Peay, and East Carolina that is bound to happen. Can Hopson prove his worth against the No. 7 team in the nation?

Can Tyler Smith win the battle against Robbie Hummell?

Who will match up with JaJuan Johnson?

A lot of questions will be answered tonight. I realize the season is young, but winning an early matchup against one of the nation's best will surely create confidence for the winner.

Purdue mirrors Tennessee in that it has four upperclassmen leading its team. Tennessee's are mostly seniors, while Purdue's best are just juniors. The fact remains, however, that experience abounds in this game.

After an early season run against weak opponents the Vols finally get someone who is potentially better than they are. If you believe the hype and preseason publications this game is just a preview for a much bigger matchup four months in the future.

Who will come out victorious tonight? The Vols hope to pass this test and, at least temporarily, prove a prediction or two wrong.