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1. I'm not going to lie. I was a little worried about this game. I didn't believe UT was going to lose, but was concerned that UT would start off slow and have a close game. Nope. UT came out with a ton of energy and made sure that Oakland knew UT was here to play.
2. Oakland got it under 20 with about nine to play and there was concern. The starters came in and finished the job. They pushed the pace and made sure the game was over. That's a good sign considering they didn't do that against the Kennesaw State and UNCA in the first two games.
3. Shout out to Skylar McBee for his defense on Travis Bader tonight. McBee's off ball D was really good. Bader could not get room to breathe nor get any space to get his shot off and McBee was a big reason for that.
4. And in all honesty, the D was just all around great tonight. The on ball defense was much better. They moved their feet and their communication was fantastic. They were talking all night. UT did a good job of watching the backdoor cuts and the bigs were much better on pick-n-roll situations. Best I have seen this year.
5. Unofficially, UT had a +18 rebounding advantage tonight. They controlled the glass (it helps when you hold your opponent to 28.6% from the field also). Golden, McBee, and Richardson had 13 boards combined (with Richardson having 8). That really helps out your bigs when you are able to have your guards getting on the boards.
6. I also noticed UT sent more guys to the offensive glass tonight. It caused some loose ball situations that UT won or a tip that went their way that doesn't show in the box score. When you crash to the boards, it creates much more pressure on the opponent's defense to box out and can also slow down a fastbreak because they are so focused on getting the ball and securing it.
7. Bernard King Player of the Game: Trae Golden. Golden was fantastic. He hit shots in the paint and dominated the game with his dribble penetration. His passing is very underrated and you will always take a 7-1 ast/to ratio. Oakland was putting some pressure on Golden and he handled it very well. Great game by Trae.
8. I thought the zone offense was the best I've seen since Cuonzo Martin was hired. A very impressive job going with the high-low offense and running it with Jarnell and Kenny, who showed some chemistry tonight. They actually forced a team out of a zone and they didn't even shoot the three ball well. It also was a good sign to see Golden get in the lane in the zone.
9. Too many three pointers tonight. 6-22 isn't good, especially when you are 22-31 from inside the arc. UT had some good open looks (Skylar and Jordan missed shots they normally hit) but when they aren't falling that's when you have to take the ball to the hole.
10. An excellent win tonight against a good mid-major program. Oakland isn't as strong as they have been the last two years, but have an average team and have been in the big stage before. UT handled its business and played fantastic tonight. They look like a better team than the last time we saw them November 17th and that's a great sign. Now for a big, big opportunity Friday night against a top 20 program in Georgetown for an upset in prime time on ESPN. This is a big game and could be a message sender with a win.
Go Vols!!! :hi:
2. Oakland got it under 20 with about nine to play and there was concern. The starters came in and finished the job. They pushed the pace and made sure the game was over. That's a good sign considering they didn't do that against the Kennesaw State and UNCA in the first two games.
3. Shout out to Skylar McBee for his defense on Travis Bader tonight. McBee's off ball D was really good. Bader could not get room to breathe nor get any space to get his shot off and McBee was a big reason for that.
4. And in all honesty, the D was just all around great tonight. The on ball defense was much better. They moved their feet and their communication was fantastic. They were talking all night. UT did a good job of watching the backdoor cuts and the bigs were much better on pick-n-roll situations. Best I have seen this year.
5. Unofficially, UT had a +18 rebounding advantage tonight. They controlled the glass (it helps when you hold your opponent to 28.6% from the field also). Golden, McBee, and Richardson had 13 boards combined (with Richardson having 8). That really helps out your bigs when you are able to have your guards getting on the boards.
6. I also noticed UT sent more guys to the offensive glass tonight. It caused some loose ball situations that UT won or a tip that went their way that doesn't show in the box score. When you crash to the boards, it creates much more pressure on the opponent's defense to box out and can also slow down a fastbreak because they are so focused on getting the ball and securing it.
7. Bernard King Player of the Game: Trae Golden. Golden was fantastic. He hit shots in the paint and dominated the game with his dribble penetration. His passing is very underrated and you will always take a 7-1 ast/to ratio. Oakland was putting some pressure on Golden and he handled it very well. Great game by Trae.
8. I thought the zone offense was the best I've seen since Cuonzo Martin was hired. A very impressive job going with the high-low offense and running it with Jarnell and Kenny, who showed some chemistry tonight. They actually forced a team out of a zone and they didn't even shoot the three ball well. It also was a good sign to see Golden get in the lane in the zone.
9. Too many three pointers tonight. 6-22 isn't good, especially when you are 22-31 from inside the arc. UT had some good open looks (Skylar and Jordan missed shots they normally hit) but when they aren't falling that's when you have to take the ball to the hole.
10. An excellent win tonight against a good mid-major program. Oakland isn't as strong as they have been the last two years, but have an average team and have been in the big stage before. UT handled its business and played fantastic tonight. They look like a better team than the last time we saw them November 17th and that's a great sign. Now for a big, big opportunity Friday night against a top 20 program in Georgetown for an upset in prime time on ESPN. This is a big game and could be a message sender with a win.
Go Vols!!! :hi:
