1. What an absolute gem of a ballgame, Georgia is no powerhouse but they are a P5 team and a conference for that game to Knoxville looking for a marquee win under first year coach Tom Crean and Tennessee absolutely embarrassed them in every facet. You see 15 and 20 point wins from time to time but that was about the worst beating Tennessee has put on anyone so far this year and it was a conference game, wow.
2. The offense was once again elite...53%fg 33%3pt 85%ft Continue elite O, but most impressive was 2pt%. Georgia is among the nations elite in 2pt defense holding opponents to 43%, Tennessee shot 61% from 2pt land which is a tick above their season average, that is really impressive. Tennessee was around 1.3ppp which is as good as they’ve been all year, in short Tennessee’s offense is among the nations best right now. Shooting 85% from the line and only 9 turnovers on 25 assists is just icing on the cake for this offense, they’re already good but hitting free throws at a 85% clip and single digit turnovers take this offense to another level.
3. On the other end of the court the defense was much better...holding Georgia to around 0.68ppp would rank as Tennessee’s best defensive effort all season long, that is a great sign as to date the defense hasn’t been as good as last year. A big reason for the improved defense was the domination on the boards, Tennessee outrebounded Georgia by 15, that has been an area Tennessee has struggled this year. It’s too early to tell but if Tennessee can find an improved defense and closer to where they were last year this team is at another level.
4. Grant/Admiral/Bone have become the definition of consistent, you know what you’re going to get and they bring it every night, what an absolute luxury. 18pts&8rbds, 18pts&6rbds and 11pts&5ast today...all 3 are playing at such a high level and Tennessee fans need to recognize what they’ve get in those guys because they deserve to go down among the most beloved.
5. That was a heck of a game from Jordan Bowden, 20pts on 8-13 shooting, he was aggressive and showed off an offensive game at all 3 levels. He has really responded well to coming off the bench and while his outside shot still isn’t where it was he’s now doing other things and showing a level of confidence offensively fans and coaches have been begging for, hopefully it continues.
6. That was a NBA eye opening performance from Kyle Alexander...he showed an aggressiveness he has often lacked and rebounded the ball at a level that will earn him a ton of money. We already know he can run the court and alter shots, he’s shown us a developed offensive game as well, but the rebounding has been lacking and if it continues like he showed tonight he’s going to be a NBA Draft pick and Tennessee becomes an even better team.
7. It was great to see Lamonte Turner out there, he missed some shots and had some rust but just the fact he was out there is a great sign and you can tell his teammates were excited as well. Tennesseee can use the depth and the punch off the bench, they’re already obviously an elite team but if he can approach the player he was last year and fit into what this team has been doing they will be built even better for March.
8. You never know what is going to happen on the road in SEC play, look no further than Alabama beating Kentucky today on opening night in league play, but with that said the early conference slate for Tennessee definitely sets up for a potential run. Vols next 2 are on the road at Missouri and Florida, if they can win those 2 they likely will be heavy favorites in the next 9 games after that which includes 6 home games...again going on the road is never a given, I don’t care who the opponent is, but something worth keeping an eye on.
GBO!!!
