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1. Who decided a 9PM start time? Anyways, a great, great Tennessee performance tonight. This was a pure blowout and you know what's better than a big road blowout in your favor in conference? Pouring it on the ****ing Red team.
2. Tennessee's defensive game plan was absolutely excellent. Cuonzo Martin throwing a 1-3-1 zone against Alabama? Great call. Poor Anthony Grant looked as if he saw a ghost he was so perplexed. Tennessee's length really affected Alabama and they rebounded much better off the zone than I originally thought they would.
3. Tennessee shot 30% in the first half. They finished right around 48% overall and went 9-20 from three point range. That's mental toughness we have not seen from Coach Martin coached teams at Tennessee. That's a good sign. They looked for the three point shot tonight and it was the right call. It worked perfectly.
4. On the offense: I thought it flowed really well all night despite the spotty first half shooting. Good looks and Tennessee attacked the middle of the zone. The off ball movement was the key. Tennessee cut hard and reset their rotation on the three point line to make Alabama scatter against their zone. I liked Maymon in the high post and it gave Tennessee some counters they could play off, especially ball reversal three's that Alabama could not contain.
5. The box score does not show how impressive Darius Thompson was. He had one turnover while being pressed most of the night and really got the offense where it needed to go. He played solid D for most of the night. He is an SEC caliber PG and I thought it was a big game for him to show he can lead this. He didn't disappoint.
6. I liked A.J. Davis' energy and defense tonight. He also did a decent job helping on the press and didn't panic. Good to see him back in the rotation.
7. The Bernard King Player of the Game: We are going with Jarnell Stokes. He controlled the middle of the paint in the 1-3-1 zone and even the 2-3 zone. He was 8-10 from the free throw line on the road!!! 16 rebounds was complete domination and that dunk sealed the game. Just phenomenal from Jarnell tonight. It might have been his most complete game as a Vol.
8. Tennessee was 21-26 from the free throw line on the road. More mental toughness this team hasn't shown previously. That kind of performance will win you plenty of road games.
9. My only two complaints: The first half offense was a little too passive on driving to the basket and looked too much for the three point. The offense flowed well to get inside looks, but too much looking for a jump shot on the perimeter. That got corrected in the second half. Eleven offensive rebounds is nit picking against a lenghty team like Bama, but not a big deal.
10. Getting victories over the Red team is ****ing enjoyable. Hell, I might pull out a victory cigar tonight. But this should just be the beginning. February is usually where Coach Martin shines and this is the right way to start off. I don't have two feet in the water yet, but there was a mental toughness tonight that I haven't seen all year from this team. That's a big step in the right direction. This was a very nice victory. No SEC road win is easy. They are all important. Now get our boys out of Tuscaloosa and let them enjoy the victory!
Go Vols!!! :hi:
2. Tennessee's defensive game plan was absolutely excellent. Cuonzo Martin throwing a 1-3-1 zone against Alabama? Great call. Poor Anthony Grant looked as if he saw a ghost he was so perplexed. Tennessee's length really affected Alabama and they rebounded much better off the zone than I originally thought they would.
3. Tennessee shot 30% in the first half. They finished right around 48% overall and went 9-20 from three point range. That's mental toughness we have not seen from Coach Martin coached teams at Tennessee. That's a good sign. They looked for the three point shot tonight and it was the right call. It worked perfectly.
4. On the offense: I thought it flowed really well all night despite the spotty first half shooting. Good looks and Tennessee attacked the middle of the zone. The off ball movement was the key. Tennessee cut hard and reset their rotation on the three point line to make Alabama scatter against their zone. I liked Maymon in the high post and it gave Tennessee some counters they could play off, especially ball reversal three's that Alabama could not contain.
5. The box score does not show how impressive Darius Thompson was. He had one turnover while being pressed most of the night and really got the offense where it needed to go. He played solid D for most of the night. He is an SEC caliber PG and I thought it was a big game for him to show he can lead this. He didn't disappoint.
6. I liked A.J. Davis' energy and defense tonight. He also did a decent job helping on the press and didn't panic. Good to see him back in the rotation.
7. The Bernard King Player of the Game: We are going with Jarnell Stokes. He controlled the middle of the paint in the 1-3-1 zone and even the 2-3 zone. He was 8-10 from the free throw line on the road!!! 16 rebounds was complete domination and that dunk sealed the game. Just phenomenal from Jarnell tonight. It might have been his most complete game as a Vol.
8. Tennessee was 21-26 from the free throw line on the road. More mental toughness this team hasn't shown previously. That kind of performance will win you plenty of road games.
9. My only two complaints: The first half offense was a little too passive on driving to the basket and looked too much for the three point. The offense flowed well to get inside looks, but too much looking for a jump shot on the perimeter. That got corrected in the second half. Eleven offensive rebounds is nit picking against a lenghty team like Bama, but not a big deal.
10. Getting victories over the Red team is ****ing enjoyable. Hell, I might pull out a victory cigar tonight. But this should just be the beginning. February is usually where Coach Martin shines and this is the right way to start off. I don't have two feet in the water yet, but there was a mental toughness tonight that I haven't seen all year from this team. That's a big step in the right direction. This was a very nice victory. No SEC road win is easy. They are all important. Now get our boys out of Tuscaloosa and let them enjoy the victory!
Go Vols!!! :hi:
