Here’s a point we would have made if the Vols lost today: Tennessee’s next three SEC games are at home against the only three teams in the league with an RPI of 100+ (Vanderbilt, LSU, Ole Miss). Thrown in for fun is a road trip to Ames, Iowa to face the only Big 12 team outside the Top 65 in KenPom. The Vols are currently first in strength of schedule in those same ratings. After the warm-ups against Presbyterian and High Point, 11 of Tennessee’s last 16 games were against teams projected to finish in the RPI Top 100, eight in the Top 50. We’re due a break.
But at the end of the nation’s most difficult first three-fifths of the season, Tennessee found one more win. They did it on the road while holding a lead of less than eight points for the final 27 minutes, yet never fell behind. And Tennessee’s 13th win came by yet another new method: more points from the bench (39) than the starters (31).
Twenty-five of those came from Lamonte Turner, along with six rebounds. That part isn’t new: he had 17 against Purdue, 24 at Georgia Tech, and 25 against Auburn. He’s become one of the streakiest players in recent Tennessee history: he was 1-of-6 against Missouri and 1-of-5 from the arc, then 6-of-9 today and 3-of-3 from three. The Vols have beaten good teams while he was cold – he was 2-of-11 against Kentucky – but don’t beat Purdue or the Gamecocks today without him. He’s one of those guys that could have a lot to do with the length of Tennessee’s stay come tournament time.
The newness today came from Derrick Walker, a sentence you’re as surprised to read as I am to type. Walker, a true freshman, averages six minutes per game and had only played more than ten thrice. His season high was 14 minutes. Today: 5-of-5 from the floor, 10 points, and four rebounds in 25 minutes. He doubled his previous career high in scoring.
The push-and-pull led to John Fulkerson not coming in and Kyle Alexander, who had 26 points in the last two games, playing just 14 minutes today. There was no Jalen Johnson, but Yves Pons got his first action since Wake Forest and ended up playing a dozen minutes, with an important putback for his first SEC points.
This is Tennessee: you’re going to get 15+ from Grant Williams, and if the other team isn’t physical on the interior he could go off for more. You’re going to get double figures from Admiral Schofield, who is quietly shooting 43.4% from the arc. One of the guards is probably going to play well (and when they don’t, you get Missouri). The Vols are going to share the ball well. And whoever is seeing the most minutes outside of Williams and Schofield on a given night is probably whoever is defending most effectively.
Against great competition, the Vols have won scoring 92 and scoring 66. They have bested elite size from Purdue and Texas A&M and elite athleticism from Kentucky. They have won at Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina; their other two road games are an overtime loss at Arkansas and a four-point loss at Missouri. This team travels. This team is good.
Here’s a question; not a concern, just a question: does Tennessee need a clearer idea of who represents its best basketball by tournament time?
Does Barnes want/hope one of Bone, Turner, and Daniel to separate himself? Those three average almost identical minutes on the year, but game-to-game it can vary wildly. Today: Turner 32 minutes, Daniel 22, Bone 16. What about Alexander, Walker, and/or Fulkerson in the post?
The messaging has been consistent all year on having a dozen starters or whatever. And this may, in fact, already be Tennessee’s best basketball. The Vols are 14th in KenPom with a roster picked to finish 13th in the SEC. No complaints here.
They won’t even necessarily need to be better over the next couple of weeks, just consistent. But we do have memories around here of Bruce Pearl’s 2008 team still looking for a point guard heading into the bracket, and the 2010 team suddenly becoming Final Four material when Brian Williams returned to the lineup in late February. Barnes surely wants his team to continue to improve; will that improvement include more definitive answers at guard at in the post?
Either way, the Vols have already proven themselves capable of winning multiple ways against multiple tough opponents. Today was just the latest example.