CBB: Tennessee eviscerates Vandy, and now looks ahead to Missouri
The Tennessee Basketball Volunteers manhandled Vanderbilt in TBA (Food City Center) on Saturday night. The Vols rode a season-high 14 3’s to an 88-53 win, and the team's depth was on full display. Every starter scored double-digit points with Dalton Knecht and Zakai Zeigler leading the way with 14 points a piece. Santiago Vescovi broke out of his shooting slump by pouring in 4 3’s, and his super-senior counterpart Josiah-Jordan James made 3 shots from behind the arc as well. Jonas Aidoo had another solid game with 11 points and 8 rebounds, but when he was not in the game Tobe Awaka made sure the Vols kept up the dominance in the paint as he converted 2 tough and-1’s.
The Starters being ready to dominate on Saturday night allowed Rick Barnes to empty his bench with 12 minutes remaining in the game, and as a result, Big Orange Country was able to catch a glimpse into the future of the program. The freshman who stood out the most was Cameron Carr as he looked fearless on offense and disruptive on defense. Carr had a few tough fouls called on him where it looked like he got all ball on block attempts, but nevertheless, his aggressiveness was showcased well. Carr also scored 8 points on 3-7 from the field including 2 3’s. Freddie Dilione logged several minutes at point guard, and Cade Philips held down the center spot in the latter stages of the game. Minutes for freshmen against conference opponents, even if it was just Vanderbilt, are vitally important for the long-term success of a program. Furthermore, getting a chance to give your starters some much-needed rest near the end of conference play is always a good thing as 24 minutes was the most playing time for any Vol against the Commodores.
The Vols will be in Missouri on Tuesday night to take on the Tigers, and as hard as it is to believe they are even worse than Vanderbilt. Another chance to empty the bench early is certainly possible in this one, but with it being on the road the Vols can not overlook the Tigers. Missouri is winless in SEC play and they would like nothing more than to notch their first conference win against a top-10 team. Show up ready for a fight and then please show the Tigers why they are winless in the conference. If the Vols come out ready to play Tuesday night the starters will be comfortably on the bench again with the game in hand early into the second half.