Vols Grind Out 20 Point Victory Over Spartans
It feels strange to describe a 20-point victory as, “Sloppy,” or a game that a team needed to, “Grind out,” however that is precisely what happened in Tennessee’s 80-60 win over South Carolina Upstate. The eighth-ranked Vols welcomed in the Spartans to Thompson Boling Arena for Tennessee’s last action before the Christmas break, and before the start of SEC play. Tennessee came in at 5-0 while the Spartans were looking for their first victory at 0-7. After the Vols looked absolutely dominant on both ends of the floor against Appalachian State, Tennessee Tech, and Saint Joseph, it was expected that the Big Orange would roll at home. Coming off of back-to-back 100 point performances on offense for the first time in 14 years, the Vols seemed to have all the momentum and any offensive issues ironed out. At least, right up until tipoff.
The Vols struggled shooting from the field in the first half. They managed to get good looks, but the shots just weren’t falling for them. They also had issues with turnovers, particularly in the first half on unforced errors. The offense never looked sharp in the first half, something that is uncharacteristic of this team on the young season. Even when the Vols have struggled to get shots to fall, the offense as a whole has flowed and moved pretty well. Tonight it looked sloppy and a little off. Perhaps it was the short turn around following Monday’s game against Saint Joe’s, the upcoming Christmas break, the Vols not taking the winless Spartans seriously enough, or a combination of the three. Whatever the case, the Vols struggled to score in the first half while turning the ball over. What was more surprising was that the Tennessee defense seemed to be off early as well.
The Spartans took an early 7-6 lead on the Vols off of an open 3-point look early in the game. South Carolina Upstate also logged points on early possessions by establishing their big men in outstanding position deep in the paint, then making easy baskets. Several times in the game, into the second half, the Spartans took wide curls and saw guards drive deep into the lane. Similarly, Volunteer defenders made errors on switches, leaving the ball handler alone for open mid-range shots multiple times. While these may seem minor, the Tennessee defense for most of the season has barely allowed their opponents to breathe. They have applied extreme pressure and played incredibly well. The Vols haven’t made these kinds of defensive mistakes this season, and it was a shock to see them against the winless Spartans. The biggest concern defensively for the Vols through the entire game was the resurfacing of a problem that has haunted Tennessee for years, their three-point defense. Spartan sophomore Tommy Bruner, not a particularly good three-point shooter went 4-6 from deep and was tied to lead all scorers with 18 points. The Spartans shot 50% from deep, going 9-18 as a team on the night. Timely three-pointers kept the Spartans hanging around, never allowing the Vols to pull away, and leading to Tennessee only being up 33-26 at the half.
Good defense kept Tennessee in the game throughout, but the Vols turned up the pressure in the second half. Yves Pons turned in a multiple block performance with some emphatic rejections while challenging and altering many other Spartan shots. Pons only had 5 points and a pair of rebounds, but his defense at the rim and stepping out to defend shooters was outstanding. Rick Barnes would ideally like to see Pons shooting at a higher percentage and getting to double figures scoring, but his stellar defense and hustle override any difficulties he may have scoring. Another player that had a tougher night than expected but still contributed was freshman Keon Johnson. Johnson had only 4 points and 3 rebounds, while receiving some intense coaching from Barnes on the sidelines a few times in this game. While Barnes was upset with Johnson for having his pocket picked on offense several times, Johnson, much like Pons, showed that he plays hard through tough offensive nights, proving how valuable he is with hustle plays and superb defense.
The second half saw the Vols hit 14 consecutive shots from the floor at one point. The Vols managed this efficiency by moving the ball well and presenting a balanced scoring attack. Tennessee stayed within their offense, got good looks for their team, and then the players with those good looks hit their shots. Tennessee helped this by getting the ball into the paint more both on drives from outside and by feeding Mister Consistency, John Fulkerson down low. Fulkerson logged 10 points and 6 rebounds against the Spartans, along with a pair of assists. He also created opportunities for Pons, EJ Anosike, and Olivier Nkamhoua in the post as the Spartans had to pull the defense to him. Anosike logged 5 points coming off the bench, while Nkamhoua was one of the players demonstrating efficiency for the Vols on offense with 9 points off the bench on 4-4 shooting. The ability to get good looks inside opened opportunities for the Tennessee guards as much as penetration from the wing resulted in nice looks for the Volunteer bigs in a nice second half for the Vols.
Santiago Vescovi again led the Vols from three-point range going 3-6 and scoring 9 points total on the night. The sophomore did more than just camp deep however, he drove the lane effectively and made multiple late passes that resulted in easy buckets for other Volunteers. Vescovi had 8 assists on the night, many of them impressive table setters. Vescovi is still growing, but he flashed the kind of spectacular passer he can be against the Spartans. Paired with his three-point shooting and ability to drive, this just makes the Tennessee offense more dangerous. Josiah Jordan-James also had a nice game with 11 points, a team high 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, all while playing solid perimeter defense. Much like Jordan-James, freshman Jaden Springer filled the stat sheet as well with 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. That kind of balanced, solid production was a major reason the Vols were able to pull away from South Carolina Upstate in the second half and operate so efficiently on offense. That, and the effort of the leading scorer on the night, Victor Bailey Jr. Bailey paced Tennessee with 18 points on the night with 8-12 shooting from the floor, 2-4 from beyond the arc. When the Vols needed answers in the second half, Bailey provided them. When the Spartans would try to claw back, Bailey opened the lead back up. When Tennessee needed to put the game away, it was Bailey that provided the boot on the throat. Bailey is a good rebounder, solid passer, and sound defender, but he is also a scorer that can heat up quickly and pour in points in bunches. Tennessee’s guard pool is extremely deep, but the Vols are almost unguardable when the entire group produces like this.
Games like this are often viewed as, “Tune-up,” games for Top Ten squads like the Vols. However, the Vols haven’t been able to get on the floor as much as they like, so each game like this is important. Similarly, it was good for Tennessee to have a night where they struggled a bit, where they weren’t on their A game, and still found a way to gut out a convincing win. The Vols won ugly against the Spartans, and they did it with defense, efficient offense, selflessness, and balanced scoring. Tennessee will absolutely face nights like this in SEC play, so there are absolutely lessons to take from this contest. The Vols will now take their Christmas break before they open SEC play on December 30th in Columbia, Missouri. The Vols will take on the fourteenth-ranked Missouri Tigers at 9:00 eastern time on SEC Network.
