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A win is a win. That’s the best way to describe Tennessee’s 78-67 victory against the Auburn Tigers on Wednesday night.
And though it wasn’t glamourous, it beats the hell outta losing on a last-second 3-pointer.
Jordan McRae dropped 21 points, and Jarnell Stokes notched his eighth double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds as Tennessee shot better than 50 percent from the field and won a game that it could ill-afford to lose.
Here are some of the stories that developed during Tennessee’s victory.
Tennessee’s Turnovers
So here we are again. Tennessee turned the ball over 15 times, one off the season-high mark of 16 it’s hit three times previously this season, including the two games prior to this one. McRae set the pace with five turnovers, while Stokes added three and freshman Darius Thompson also added three in just 11 minutes. The Tigers converted those 15 turnovers into 16 points, and Tennessee opponents have scored 48 points off turnovers in the last three games. Currently, UT averages 15.7 turnovers per contest in SEC play, a mark that sits third-worst in the conference behind South Carolina (19) and Vanderbilt (16). Tennessee also ranks next-to-last in turnover margin, averaging six more turnovers per game than its opponents.
The Vols showed early in the season they’re capable of taking better care of the basketball, and the conference schedule sample size is awfully small, but the early precedent the Vols have set doesn’t bode well for the rest of the SEC schedule. I doubt UT can go into Rupp Arena, turn the ball over 16 times and expect to beat a talented Kentucky team. So we’ll ride this train till the wheels fall off, I guess.
Finding Balance
Each of Tennessee’s five starters scored in double figures Wednesday night. According to the hard-working folks at UTSports.com, it was the first time all five starters scored 10 points or more since last year’s game against the Arkansas Razorbacks. McRae led the way with 21 points and fellow wing Josh Richardson added 15. Richardson’s open 3-point shot was the first basket of the game for the Vols, and he was the catalyst for the offense early.
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“They were just leaving me open,” Richardson said, of his first-half scoring. “So it was easy shots.”
He scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half on 6-8 shooting from the field, accounting for nearly 50 percent of Tennessee’s first-half scoring output.
Tennessee’s duo down-low, Jeronne Maymon and Jarnell Stokes, accounted for 25 points and 22 rebounds, though Maymon played just 25 minutes and fouled out late in the second half. They shot 8-14 from the field and didn’t miss a free throw (9-9) between them.
Antonio Barton rounded out the double-figure scoring group, adding 11 points. Barton shot just 3-8 from the field, but he did convert four of his five free throw attempts.
“It helps when you’ve got balance like that to score the ball, getting space and you’re making your free throws,” Head Coach Cuonzo Martin said. “Anytime you’re shooting over 50 percent from the field, it helps you.”
The Derek Reese Effect
After registering 10-straight DNPs through non-conference play, Derek Reese got his first burn of the season against Morehead State, logging 12 points and 10 boards, and he’s played in every game since. During those six contests, Reese averaged just 14 minutes but pulled down more than six rebounds a game. Wednesday he had five rebounds and drew a charge on Auburn’s K.T. Harrell early in the first half, which sent the Tiger’s leading scorer to the bench with his second foul.
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“He goes to get rebounds” Martin said. “He’s still working to get better. He can make a shot from the perimeter. That’s the whole thing -you have to be able to get rebounds. It can’t just be Jarnell [/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Stokes] and Jeronne [Maymon]- he’ll go on and get his nose dirty.”
Tennessee’s collected 630 rebounds, or about 39 per game, so far this season, and Stokes and Maymon account for 46 percent of those rebounds. Whether or not Reese’s outside shot is falling, he’ll continue to play as along as he continues to rebound the basketball.
The King Returns
All-time Tennessee great Bernard King returned to Knoxville and spoke to the team prior to the game against the Tigers.
“He talked about being good teammates, playing hard, working on your craft, continue to become better basketball players,” Martin said. “It was more about being a team and the guys really appreciate what he gave.”
For guys my age, and guys on the team, Bernard King came before our time. But his greatness truly transcends the generations.
King played under Ray Mears from1975-1977 and earned SEC Player of the Year and All-American honors during each of his three seasons. King holds the records for single-season scoring average and freshman-season scoring average (both at 26.4 in 1974-75), most career double-doubles (62) and ranks second on the all-time Tennessee scoring list behind teammate Ernie Grunfeld, who played one season more than King did. King is one of three men (Grunfeld, Allan Houston) to have his number hang in the rafters at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Though King’s NBA career was shortened by a knee injury, he was a four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA first teamer and led the league in scoring during the 1985 season. I’m glad to see him back around the program.
Next Up
The Vols travel to Lexington for a noon tipoff on Saturday to take on12-4 Kentucky. The Wildcats, whose four losses came at the hands of Michigan State, North Carolina, Baylor and Arkansas, boast one of the country’s most efficient offenses, posting a 118.4 adjusted efficiency rating — one good for fourth in the country. Tennessee’s bigs will have their hands full as Kentucky ranks first in the NCAA in Off. Reb%, pulling down an impressive 45.3 percent of the offensive boards available to it with future NBA lottery pick Julius Randle and 7-foot rim protector Willie Cauley-Stein anchoring the frontline.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]