CBB: Vols escape Athens with a win on Saturday
The Tennessee basketball Volunteers did battle with the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens on Saturday, and for many stretches of the game, the Vols looked lost. The Vols built a 42-28 lead with 4 minutes remaining in the first half, but Georgia began to shoot their way back into the game. However, the Vols helped the Bulldogs by leaving shooters wide open beyond the arc. This poor defense, combined with a patented scoring drought, allowed Georgia to go on a 15-0 run that gave them the lead early in the 2nd half. In fact, for much of the 2nd half, the Vols looked like they had never seen a basketball, and the two senior leaders on this team (Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi) were the biggest culprits. The Vols were on the ropes late in the 2nd half after a Georgia 3 by Knoxville native Blue Cain. However, after that 3, which put the Vols down 11, they began to roar back. Dalton Knecht began taking the ball to the basket and hunting his shot. The Vol defense began running the Bulldogs off the 3-point line. The effort that seemed to be lacking by the Vols for the entire game was showing up again, and the Vols ended up going on a 21-4 run to win the game 85-79.
The Positives
For the Second game in a row, the Vols battled back to tie a road game after being down double digits. The resiliency necessary to do this in two straight road games can not be understated, and if the Vols can bounce back in games when they have poor starts, wins will be easier to come by in conference play. The next big positive is the play of Dalton Knecht and Zakai Ziegler. When Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi are playing poorly, the Vols must get production elsewhere, and for the last two games, Knecht and Ziegler have stepped up hugely. Knecht dropped 36 points, and Ziegler continued his magician-like skills to run the offense effectively. If these two players can continue their strong play when JJJ and Vescovi get back in form teams will not want to see the Vols. Lastly, Jonas Aidoo dominated on defense. Anytime your center has 5 blocks in a game you have to be impressed, and after his shaky defense on Wednesday night against Tolu Smith, it is certainly encouraging to see him defend the rim so effectively.
The Negatives
I’ve already hinted at this one, but Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi need to play better. After combining for 5 points on Wednesday night, they only managed to double their combined output against the Bulldogs with 10. Furthermore, their defense left a lot to be desired as they were beaten off the dribble numerous times. Now to be fair Vescovi was a big part of the game-ending run with a clutch three and stellar defense down the stretch, but James was firmly on the bench for the last 6 minutes of the game. The bottom line is these two seniors should have bounced back after their poor play Wednesday, and if they don’t soon this team will not reach their full potential. The second negative is that Jordan Gainey seems to be downright unplayable at the moment. A prolonged shooting slump is one thing, but when you can't play defense either, you become a liability. I know that playing on a team where your dad is an assistant coach comes with a certain amount of pressure but at some point, you have to rise to the occasion. Don’t be surprised if Freddie Dilione continues to see more of Gainey’s minutes.
The Vols will be back in TBA/Food City Center on Tuesday night against the Florida Gators. The Vols have a chance to do big things this year, but the last two games have raised some concerns. They have to figure out a way to play better away from Knoxville, and if they can do that the sky is the limit for this team.