Tyler Smith had Tennessee’s first ever triple-double (12 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) and Bruce Pearl notched his 400th career win as Tennessee cruised past UNC Asheville 87-69 in Thompson Boling Arena on Wednesday night.
The Vols were slow out of the gate and never were able to fire on all cylinders. Missed shots and defensive lapses were recurring themes.
With the game much closer than many expected, the energy level in TBA was non-existent — with a couple of exceptions. Fans gave Tyler Smith an ovation upon learning of his historic triple-double and they erupted when walk-on Michael Hubert drained a three point shot late in the second half.
In the end, Tennessee played well enough to win by 18 against a team North Carolina defeated by 68.
Even though his squad struggled at times, Bruce Pearl was calm. A strange contrast to his outrages during the UT Martin game. That night, with the game well in hand, Pearl stormed the court and called timeout for a defensive lapse that led to a wide open three point attempt for the Skyhawks.
Then it hit me.
This Tennessee team is exhausted and Pearl knows it. They returned from the Old Spice Classic in the morning hours on Monday, attended classes on very little sleep, and participated in scheduled practices.
Pearl acknowledged it after the game. “When you play three games in four days against top competition and travel, it takes a couple of days to recover. We recovered enough to win tonight.”
The Vols will now take a break for finals and get some much needed rest before playing again on December 13th against the Temple Owls in Philadelphia.