Terrence Hill Jr., Vols attack the lane in season-opening win over Wofford

In an era where basketball fans have fallen in love with the 3-point shot and flashier styles of play, the old, tried-and-true method still works. It played out well for Tennessee men’s basketball in Tuesday night’s season-opening win.

No. 8 Tennessee defeated Wofford 90-59 after a first half that saw a team still trying to establish its identity. The Vols hit four of their 12 3-point attempts before the break, with Tyler Lundblade making three of five, and took just a 34-31 lead into the locker room.

Overall, the shots weren’t falling the way Tennessee wanted, not even for guard Terrence Hill Jr., who finished the night 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.

One thing that worked for Hill and the rest of the team was getting downhill to the paint. Hill tied DeWayne Brown II for the team lead with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, going 6-of-7 inside the arc. He drew contact on his drives and added a 5-for-5 night from the free-throw line.

Hill did it in different ways. He scored 11 points in the first half, five of them at the line, including an and-one in transition. After the break, he did all of his damage in the open floor, scoring six points on three transition buckets, one of them off his own steal. Every one of his 17 points came at the rim, in the midrange or at the stripe.

Nov 3, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes instructs his team during the first half against the Wofford Terriers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Well, I told him I like that better than the threes,” head coach Rick Barnes said. “He's going to make threes. I mean, we need to attack, put pressure on the rim, and you can do that in a variety of ways. But we need that out of him. And he’s slippery.”

Barnes believes the ceiling is high if Hill commits to the other end of the floor. It will always go back to defense for the head coach, and nothing would excite him more than to see Hill become the total player.

"But tonight attacking the lane the way he did, and he’s got great touch in there, and he’s got great vision," Barnes said. "And once he decides that he wants to be a two-way player, he’ll be as good as any guard in the country, once he decides he wants to do that. And it’s up to him.”

Hill wasn’t the only one who found the path to the rim. Tennessee managed just five layups, dunks or tip-ins in the first half. In the second, it converted 13 en route to a 56-point half.

Center Miles Rubin #25 of the Tennessee Volunteers dunks — KNOXVILLE, TN - November 03, 2026 - Center Miles Rubin #25 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the game between the Wofford Terriers and the Tennessee Volunteers at Food City Center in Knoxville, TN. | Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

Miles Rubin set the tone out of the locker room, scoring three of Tennessee’s first seven baskets on two dunks and a layup. The Vols outscored Wofford 20-5 in that opening stretch, turning a three-point game into a 54-36 lead, and never looked back.

Tennessee went on to outscore Wofford 52-24 in the paint and 27-6 on the fast break. The Vols shot 52.3% from the field and went 15-of-16 at the free-throw line. That paint production was a major difference from what Tennessee showed in the preseason, and Barnes was quick to point it out.

"We’re trying to get our guards to where they get in there and back down and create some situations there," Barnes said. "But overall, I mean, you go back to the exhibition games, we didn’t do anything in the lane. It was all hit or miss from the perimeter. We didn’t do anything well. But tonight we did some things to give us a chance to rebound the ball better."

Nov 3, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Terrence Hill Jr. (3) brings the ball up court against the Wofford Terriers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It also fits the identity Barnes wants this team to build. With 13 new players on the roster, the Vols are still learning how he wants it done, and Tuesday’s second half was the clearest picture yet of what he’s been preaching.

“I’ve told our team we should want to lead the nation in free-throw attempts, but we’ve got to get there first,” Barnes said. “And we’re not going to get there if we just stand and shoot threes like we did in our first two exhibition games.”

The 3-point shot will come, especially with shooters like Lundblade and Hill on the roster. But Tennessee showed it doesn’t have to rely on it. There's something about a team that gets through the lane, finishes at the rim and gets to the free-throw line that just feels more complete. Maybe I am just getting old.

The Vols return to Food City Center on Nov. 9 against Radford. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.

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