ForumsBruce Pearl said before Friday night’s season opener that the exhibition loss to Indianapolis on Monday was either: a red flag and a cause for concern, or Tennessee players just were not excited about playing and did not take the game seriously enough.
Based on the Vols’ performance against Chattanooga, the latter appears to be more likely.
Tennessee raced to a 40-18 lead in the first half against an out-manned Chattanooga squad and cruised to an 82-62 victory before an official attendance of 20,613 on Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
On a night when an Elite Eight banner was raised to celebrate the accomplishments of last year’s team, some new names topped the Vols’ box score.
Freshman Tobias Harris led Tennessee with 18 points in his Vol debut. The talented forward went 7-11 from the floor and grabbed five rebounds in 26 minutes.
Harris’ 18 points were one more than Allan Houston and Scotty Hopson scored in their first collegiate game (according to Bruce Pearl), but well shy of Bernard King’s school record 42 points against UW Milwaukee in 1974.
Newcomer John Fields just missed a double-double, finishing with a team high 10 rebounds and eight points in a mere 13 minutes.
Melvin Goins and Scotty Hopson both scored 13 points while Cameron Tatum chipped in 11.
Bruce Pearl praised Goins’ performance, playing 22 minutes without committing a turnover, but wasn’t particularly thrilled Hopson’s. Although he finished in double figures, Hopson did so on just 5-14 shooting. Also concerning, he managed just one rebound and one assist in 20 minutes.
Even though the Mocs knocked down nine 3-pointers, six by Vanderbilt transfer Keegan Bell, overall, Pearl was pleased with Tennessee’s defensive effort.
The Vols are off tomorrow before getting back to work on Sunday in preparation for Belmont in the NIT Season Tip-Off, which begins Tuesday night.
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