GAME NOTES: Second-round action in the SEC Tournament continues on Thursday evening at Bridgestone Arena, as the seventh-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores square off with the 10th-seeded Tennessee Volunteers.

The winner of this game will move into Friday's quarterfinal round to take on No. 2 seed Arkansas.

Vanderbilt overcame a sluggish start to league play and is one of the hottest teams to enter the postseason, winning six straight games to close out the regular season. Overall, Kevin Stallings squad finished the year at a solid 19-12, with a 9-9 league ledger. Vanderbilt has a recent SEC Tournament title to its credit in 2012, its second in school history.

The Volunteers enter the postseason with a completely different frame of mind. Donnie Tyndall's squad dropped six of its last seven games to close out the regular season, giving the team a mere 15-15 overall record, while sporting a 7-11 SEC mark. Tennessee has a 62-50 record in this event, with four tournament titles. However, the Vols have not won this event since 1979.

Tennessee has a 115-72 advantage in the series with Vanderbilt. The two teams split the regular-season series, each winning on the road.

Tennessee won't be confused with an offensive juggernaut any time soon. The Volunteers lack great scoring depth at a meager 62.9 ppg. The team is shooting a modest .429 from the floor, which includes a .334 mark from behind the arc.

However, that doesn't mean that Tennessee lacks star power. Senior guard Josh Richardson is the go-to-guy for UT, averaging team-highs in scoring (15.6 ppg), assists (3.7 apg) and steals (league-high 2.1 per game). Richardson was named All-SEC First-Team by the coaches and is now a two-time All-SEC Defensive Team member. Juniors Armani Moore (10.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Kevin Punter (10.2 ppg) are valuable assets as well.

As a team, Vanderbilt has been far more successful than Tennessee at the offensive end, shooting an impressive .471 from the floor this year, leading to a solid 70.0 ppg.

Three Commodores earned all-conference honors this season, starting with sophomore center Damian Jones. The 6-10, 250-pounder topped the team scoring (14.3 ppg), rebounding (6.2 rpg) and blocks (61) and was named to both the All-SEC First-Team and Defensive Team. Riley LaChance (12.5 ppg) and Wade Baldwin IV (8.8 ppg, 4.4 apg) earned spots on the All-Freshman Team.

Both regular-season games were tight affairs. This one should be no different, but it is Vanderbilt's offensive capabilities which should push the Commodores through to the next round.