Takeaways: No. 18 Tennessee mounts 13-point comeback to beat Florida 78-71

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Santiago Vescovi ran full-throttle at Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday. 

Following a steal from Auburn transfer Justin Powell, Vescovi ducked up and under for a reverse layup before Josiah-Jordan James connected from long range. 

James -- who had nailed two free throws to start the run -- pointed at Vescovi, who returned the favor. 

Then vintage John Fulkerson made an appearance, backing down his defender to cap a 9-0 Tennessee sprint for a 61-55 lead. 

The second-half sequence proved just enough, as UT overcame a 13-point first-half deficit to beat Florida 78-71. 

Vescovi led Tennessee (14-5, 5-3) with 23 points, 15 from beyond the arc, and the total tied a career-high he matched against Villanova. 

Here are our takeaways from the win, which keeps UT perfect (11-0) at home:

Vols get impacts from all over

In the first half, Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Zeigler traded offensive and defensive blows for an 11-0 Tennessee run. 

But in the win-clinching sequence, it was UT's veterans who made the most plays. 

Chandler and Vescovi combined for 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, while James and Zeigler combined for 20 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. 

Zeigler, who is 5-foot-9, would have tied for the Florida team lead in rebounds with 6-foot-7 Anthony Duruji.

James scored all nine of his points in the second half, while Justin Powell used four rebounds, two key assists and considerable second-half hustle to aid Tennessee. 

The numbers are quite emblematic, as the Vols have played several games with one group standing out -- but few with the position players from the entire team contributing. 

Free throws, turnover trim make difference

Through 18 games, Tennessee has maintained a 67.4% from the free-throw line. 

The Vols sank 94.4% at the stripe on Wednesday, making 17 of 18 in total with a perfect 9-of-9 effort down the stretch. 

UT also cut down on turnovers, going from 12 in the first half to four in the second.

“The turnovers we had, there’s no defense for it,” added Barnes.

Vintage Fulky comes alive late

When the teams departed for their locker rooms at halftime, it appeared that Tennessee would be in for another night without John Fulkerson. 

With 8:31 left to play, though, Fulkerson began his onslaught. 

First he backed down a defender. Then he hit a jumper. Then he hit a free throw, and then he hit another pair of jumpers to total seven second-half points when Tennessee needed them most. 

He also added three blocks, bolstering the Vols defensively.

“I don’t think we’d have won the game tonight without John,” Barnes said.

Awful offensive stretches plague first-half Vols

Bookending the first-half spurt from Zeigler and Chandler, Tennessee went periods of 6:48 and 4:37 without a point. 

Five of those minutes featured no shots from UT.

“We went five minutes without shooting the ball!” Barnes said. “To win a game (like that), it’s tough to do.”

Meanwhile, Florida (12-5, 3-5) used those stretches for a 15-0 run and a 10-0 run, respectively. 

The Vols gave up seven straight turnovers during that time. 

Bench, paint, turnovers and boards essential for UT

On the night, Tennessee finished with a combined 60 points between its bench, the paint and points off turnovers. 

UT finished with 12, 18 and 22, in those categories, respectively, through the second half. 

The Vols also nabbed 34 rebounds to Florida's 24. 

Multiple reviews, technicals stop time

After Tennessee's win over Vanderbilt, Uros Plavsic stated that the Vols "won both," referring to the fights and the matchup. 

Things appeared testy again on Wednesday -- each team was whistled for technical fouls, and the clubs almost got involved after the buzzer before coaches escorted them off the floor. 

Barnes attributed the moment to “immaturity,” while Vescovi reinforced that they have to remember “we’re here to play a basketball game, not to win a fight.”

Tennessee’s players and student section chomped as the Gators exited the arena.

Up next: a familiar foe for Barnes

Now the Vols look to a Saturday matchup in Austin, Texas, as Tennessee will face the Longhorns — a team Barnes coached for 17 seasons. 

“I really haven’t thought about it,” said Barnes. “I’ve got incredible respect for the University of Texas. Not a person on that campus I don’t have respect for. I know Chris Beard, I know a lot of my former players will be there. 

“Will it be different? I don’t know. I’m a Tennessee Volunteer, and you know what, I’ve been gone seven years. This is the last year of the Irwin Center, I coached there for 17 years. They’re going to be in our league in the next year or two, so it’ll be a trip every year or two. It’s a great thing for our program. We’re going to have to play better than we played tonight.”

Cover photo: Jake Nichols