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1. One of the best Tennessee defensive performances I've seen in a long, long time. Tennessee's team speed and active hands forced Texas A&M into a lot of turnovers and Tennessee dominated the second half of the game with fantastic defense.
2. Also, if you shoot 39% and win an SEC road game by ten, you deserve two wins for that. Tennessee struggled to get shots all night was able to get some points off turnovers and create distance to put the game.
3. This team is different when Shembari Phillips is assertive and aggressive on offense. When he attacks and looks for his shot, Tennessee becomes a different team. He needs to continue to do that.
4. I loved that Tennessee threw some different looks at Tyler Davis. He is uber talented but there's always been questions about his mental game and Tennessee was aggressive in attacking him and making him a complete non factor. Kudos to the staff.
5. Robert Hubbs has to be more of a factor in games like this. Fortunately Tennessee took care of business, but we need more than six points and three rebounds in an SEC road game.
6. I liked the balance shot selection tonight. Tennessee took 26 three's, which is a good number (despite a few of those being desperate end of shot clock variety) but I thought the Volunteers had a nice shot distribution chart for this game.
7. The Bernard King Player of the Game: Grant Williams. Williams is the best Tennessee rim protector since............I don't even remember. Six blocks against a good team like Texas A&M is impressive. Not only that, he had some timely buckets and has improved his pick and roll defense since the beginning of the year. You can see why the staff was so high on him. If he was 6'10, he'd be an NBA first round pick. He just an excellent game.
8. Jordan Bone struggled, which wasn't a surprise. It will take him a few games. Lamonte Turner and Kwe Parker have been playing well so Bone isn't paramount to winning right now but Tennessee will need him.
9. Nice job by Lamonte Turner at the free throw line. He finished the game off and that is a nice confidence builder for future games. Always important to have a guy you can go to late to ice the game.
10. Texas A&M is probably an NCAA tournament team and Tennessee handled them. What a hell of a performance by the Volunteers. They did everything they needed to do for a win. They played great perimeter defense, forced turnovers, hit free throws, and protected the basketball. The second biggest win of the Rick Barnes era so far and it says a lot that Tennessee had a 20 point lead with four minutes to go and only shot 40% from the field. Texas A&M is lucky Tennessee missed a couple three's they normally hit. Rick Barnes had a great defensive game plan and a great mentality by these young Volunteers to get a road SEC win like this. They looked like a top five SEC team tonight.
2. Also, if you shoot 39% and win an SEC road game by ten, you deserve two wins for that. Tennessee struggled to get shots all night was able to get some points off turnovers and create distance to put the game.
3. This team is different when Shembari Phillips is assertive and aggressive on offense. When he attacks and looks for his shot, Tennessee becomes a different team. He needs to continue to do that.
4. I loved that Tennessee threw some different looks at Tyler Davis. He is uber talented but there's always been questions about his mental game and Tennessee was aggressive in attacking him and making him a complete non factor. Kudos to the staff.
5. Robert Hubbs has to be more of a factor in games like this. Fortunately Tennessee took care of business, but we need more than six points and three rebounds in an SEC road game.
6. I liked the balance shot selection tonight. Tennessee took 26 three's, which is a good number (despite a few of those being desperate end of shot clock variety) but I thought the Volunteers had a nice shot distribution chart for this game.
7. The Bernard King Player of the Game: Grant Williams. Williams is the best Tennessee rim protector since............I don't even remember. Six blocks against a good team like Texas A&M is impressive. Not only that, he had some timely buckets and has improved his pick and roll defense since the beginning of the year. You can see why the staff was so high on him. If he was 6'10, he'd be an NBA first round pick. He just an excellent game.
8. Jordan Bone struggled, which wasn't a surprise. It will take him a few games. Lamonte Turner and Kwe Parker have been playing well so Bone isn't paramount to winning right now but Tennessee will need him.
9. Nice job by Lamonte Turner at the free throw line. He finished the game off and that is a nice confidence builder for future games. Always important to have a guy you can go to late to ice the game.
10. Texas A&M is probably an NCAA tournament team and Tennessee handled them. What a hell of a performance by the Volunteers. They did everything they needed to do for a win. They played great perimeter defense, forced turnovers, hit free throws, and protected the basketball. The second biggest win of the Rick Barnes era so far and it says a lot that Tennessee had a 20 point lead with four minutes to go and only shot 40% from the field. Texas A&M is lucky Tennessee missed a couple three's they normally hit. Rick Barnes had a great defensive game plan and a great mentality by these young Volunteers to get a road SEC win like this. They looked like a top five SEC team tonight.
