If you’d been wondering what the Vols would look like on a day when they got hot from three, behold. I don’t know how many teams in the country are beating Tennessee when they shoot 43% from the floor, 14-of-27 (52%) from the arc, and 13-of-14 (93%) from the line. But it’s a very short list.
The Vols stayed at 13th in KenPom, but their rating jumped up more than a point to 23.81. At the moment, that makes them the second-best Tennessee team of the era, going back 20 years. Our strength of schedule continues to amaze: ninth overall in KenPom, with four Top 10 opponents under our belt already and games to come with Kentucky and Auburn. And if you want to believe these Vols are who the schedule says they are, today was an excellent example of what they can do when not facing one of the best teams in the nation.
How impressive was today?
- Fourteen made threes is the most for the Vols against major conference competition in at least the last 12 years (which is how far back the gamelogs go at sports-reference). Last year Tennessee’s high was 11 in the loss at Auburn. The 2019 squad made a dozen against Gonzaga and Purdue. This team hit 14-of-27 against Presbyterian, then did it again today.
- 50+% from three and 90+% from the line: the 2019 team did it against Arkansas, if you round up, with 11-of-18 from the arc (61.1%) and 35-of-39 (89.7%) from the line. The only other example in the last 12 years is the one we hoped we’d see at some point this year: the Kansas game from last season, when Tennessee went 8-of-13 (61.5%) from three and 16-of-17 (94.1%) from the line. The Vols beat the Jayhawks 80-61, an “Oh yeah, they can do this,” performance.
And in the midst of lineup diversity and Olivier Nkamhoua’s departure, the Vols went to the now-vaunted three point guards + Josiah + Fulky group. Nkamhoua’s injury came on a shot that put UT up three with 16 to play. Zakai Zeigler did the next part by himself, back-to-back threes to put the Vols up nine. It was still nine when the Vols went to that lineup.
Nine minutes later, when John Fulkerson checked out, the lead was 24.
Josiah Jordan James played 36 minutes, turning in a J.P. Prince special with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals, and 2 assists. Should Nkamhoua need to miss time, Josiah’s ability to play that many minutes is a plus in Tennessee not having to put Fulky and Plavsic on the floor at the same time.
Zakai Zeigler had 18 points and turned a close game into a comfortable one, before that lineup turned it into a blowout.
Don’t lose Kennedy Chandler in the flow: 11 points, 10 assists, and just one turnover. And South Carolina ain’t the easiest defense to do that against.
Santiago Vescovi played just 23 minutes with foul trouble, but still hit 3-of-8 from deep and finished with 13 points. And John Fulkerson gave 23 minutes, including that long stretch in the second half, finishing with eight points.
It was, quite simply, as good of an offensive performance as we’ve ever seen from this team. And the defense was what we always see.
Tennessee goes to 16-6 (7-3), and heads to Starkville (Wednesday 9:00 PM) for what should be a stiffer test. I’m not sure this win or the next one would do a ton for bracketologists at-large. But for Tennessee’s best basketball on the offensive end, this was a big win. And they got it done by relying more fully on a lineup that looks likely to make them a real threat to anyone in March.
Go Vols.