Instant Reaction: Tennessee Throttles Arkansas at Home 82-61
Tennessee ended its skid of misfortunes on Tuesday.
Following an emphatic loss at the hands of Kentucky on Saturday, the Vols returned home to host Arkansas and quickly put the weekend's
Santiago Vescovi scored 20 points and dished out eight assists, Jordan Bowden added 16 points and John Fulkerson recorded 14 points and eight rebounds as Tennessee pummeled the Razorbacks 82-61.
Some quick takeaways from UT's wire-to-wire win:
To start: turnovers, turnovers
Both Tennessee and Arkansas seemed to be chasing the record for most turnovers in an opening half following tipoff.
In the opening 10 minutes, both teams combined for 16 total giveaways, including four in the opening two minutes. Tennessee eventually cleaned up its act, but the same could not be said for the Razorbacks.
Arkansas had seven more turnovers (10) than assists (3) in the opening period, a reality that likely did not sit well with first-year coach Eric Musselman.
Vescovi’s hot streak continues
Vescovi has made at least one 3-pointer in every game he has appeared in for the Vols. That streak did not come to an end on Tuesday.
Vescovi was in his bag of tricks once again against Arkansas, notching 13 points in the first half while spurring the Vols’ 7-0 run with consecutive triples that increased UT’s lead to an insurmountable margin.
The freshman guard also committed just three turnovers in 31 minutes and accounted for half of Tennessee’s total 3-pointers made.
His hot shooting in the second half constantly sent the crowd into a frenzy, an aspect that could help power the Vols across the finish line as the regular season nears its close.
Is Bowden back?
It’s no secret that Bowden has struggled with his confidence since Lamonte Turner went down. He’s shown occasional glimpses of his former self, but nothing to instill confidence that it would carry over into the next game.
That very well may have changed on Tuesday.
Bowden accounted for the game’s opening five points and hit his first two shots from the floor, committing zero turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
The Knoxville native carried his momentum into the second half, tallying eight points during that span as the Vols continued to increase their lead.
Whether or not this will continue remains to be seen, but Bowden certainly instilled confidence in the UT faithful on this night.
Nkamhoua provides spark in limited minutes
Much like Bowden, freshman forward Olivier Nkamhoua’s journey thus far has been littered with ups and downs.
After a promising start in non-conference play, Nkamhoua entered Rick Barnes’ doghouse for quite some time for his lack of execution on both ends, particularly defense.
Nkamhoua scored 10 points and hauled in six rebounds despite committing four fouls in 19 minutes off the bench. He finished +10 when he was on the floor.
It may not be what Barnes and his staff are ultimately seeking from him, but Tuesday was a step in the right direction for Nkamhoua.
