Takeaways: Vols Drop SEC Opener as Tide Rolls Late for 73-68 Win

Olivier Nkamhoua nailed a key triple in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday. The bucket gave No. 14 Tennessee a 68-67 lead over No. 19 Alabama, as the Vols cobbled together

Olivier Nkamhoua nailed a key triple in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday.

The bucket gave No. 14 Tennessee a 68-67 lead over No. 19 Alabama, as the Vols cobbled together enough grit and magic to stay with the Tide through 39 minutes and 10 seconds.

Then, the Crimson Tide rolled.

Keon Ellis responded to Nkamhoua’s shot with a 3-pointer of his own, Victor Bailey and Zakai Zeigler missed from long range and the Tide made enough free-throws to hang on for a 73-68 win over the Vols.

Here are our takeaways from UT’s SEC opener:

No Chandler, No Fulkerson and Not Quite Enough

Tennessee entered the game without its senior leader and its leading scorer, as John Fulkerson and Kennedy Chandler both tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Christmas with their families.

With that in mind, the hot-shooting Crimson Tide could have buried the Vols in Tuscaloosa.

Except then the Vols found themselves neck-and-neck with the Tide, with plenty of effort from three clutch performances.

Nkamhoua led UT with 15 points and nine rebounds, as the Finland native poured in five straight points late — including the aforementioned go-ahead three — to keep the Vols alive.

Santiago Vescovi followed suit with 13 points and six rebounds, with one first-half triple that created separation after the Tide stormed back from a hot UT start.

Zeigler rounded out the Vols’ double-digit scoring, as the New York native filled in admirably for Chandler with 11 points, seven on free-throws, and four assists.

Ultimately, though, none of those efforts proved enough.

Noah Gurley (20 points, 10 rebounds), Javon Quinerly (18 points), Jaden Shackelford (12 points) and Keon Ellis (nine points) sparked a 6-0 run to give Bama the win, and Zeigler and Vescovi suffered enough foul trouble to make the Vols squirm late.

Still, that response was only in Wednesday’s second half.

It wasn’t present, though, when Rick Barnes and his staff realized Fulkerson and Chandler wouldn’t be able to go.

"We didn't make a big deal about Fulky and Kennedy not playing,” he said. “We believe in the other guys, we recruited them."

UT continues strong defense as Plavsic emerges down the stretch

Despite a few clutch shots from Alabama, Tennessee’s “other guys” performed admirably on the defensive end.

UT nabbed 10 steals on the night and forced 15 Crimson Tide turnovers.

The Vols also held the Tide to 22.6 percent shooting from long range, as Shackelford and Quinerly — two of Nate Oats’ best from beyond the arc — combined for just 3-for-17 in 3-pointers.

Meanwhile, no Tennessee player aside from Vescovi made more than one 3-pointer.

The Uruguay native nailed three treys, although he attempted no triples in the second half after making almost half his attempts from that range in the first 20 minutes.

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield also cooled in the second half after notching eight points in 16 minutes of action.

Barnes attributed his decline in opportunity to a few “lackadaisical” plays near the end of the first half, at which point both teams were tied at 33.

Speaking of 33, Uros Plavsic heated up instead of disappearing down the stretch.

He collected nine rebounds — tied with Nkamhoua for a team-high — after entering Wednesday with a career high of four, and he was 6-for-8 at the free-throw line after going 1-for-3 in the first 11 games.

Vols emphasize versatility and optimism

Overall, Barnes reiterated how pleased he was with the Vols’ efforts — despite his team not finishing the job.

“I’m proud of the way we got after it tonight,” he said.

Added Nkamhoua: "I think all of our guys have heart and grit. We can always have more but we trust each other and have faith in each other. We can win without anybody."

When will Chandler and Fulky be back, and what’s next?

Despite the Vols’ grittiness, the ultimate question lies in when their greatest catalysts will return to the floor.

Barnes gave no update there, though he mentioned that Fulkerson did not practice with the team at all after Christmas and that Chandler fell ill after practicing on the 26th.

Tennessee will return to action on January 5th, as the Vols welcome Ole Miss to Thompson-Boling Arena.

Tip is slated for 7 p.m. ET. in Knoxville.

Cover photo: Marvin Gentry, USA Today Sports