by Riley Haltom
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Texas Longhorns in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Bridgestone Arena. The Longhorns, who were in their third game of the tournament fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, fell 83-72 to the Volunteers, who are playing to get a 1-seed in the tournament. Here are my takeaways from the Vols win:
Lanier Looks Better Than Ever
Chaz Lanier was the Tennessee offense in the first half. Lanier accounted for nearly half of the Vols first-half scoring with 19 of the team’s 41. On 8-11 shooting, Lanier kept the Vols in the game when most of the team was struggling to score, on a combined 7-21 shooting performance. Coach Rick Barnes was impressed with Lanier’s performance, even compared to last year’s superstar Dalton Knecht.
“He’s very unselfish, very unselfish player. I will say this to you. The difference in the two would be I never had to tell Dalton to shoot. I beg Chaz to shoot sometimes because
he’s so conscientious of wanting to be a part of it.”
Zeigler Second Half Heroics
Zakai Zeigler had a rough first half for the Vols. Three assists, two personal fouls, and just nine minutes on the floor with no scoring. Zeigler went on to score 19 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals. The senior played a large part in Tennessee’s separating from Texas in the second half. Zeigler is proud of how his teammates have handled the pressure.
“I feel like we’ve been in the spotlight the whole year. I feel like the guys, we’ve always done a really good job of dealing with it, understanding this is a three-day tournament for us. We won a tough game today.”
A Tale of Two Bigs
Felix Okpara, the Vols starter at the five, was in foul trouble throughout most of the game, forcing coach Barnes to dip into his depth. Okpara finished with just four points, three rebounds, and a block in 24 minutes. Cade Phillips and Igor Milicic Jr stepped up, with Phillips adding three points, six boards, and a block in just 16 minutes, and Milicic notching 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
Mashack Offense
Jahmai Mashack has been known for one thing during his time at Tennessee: his defense. That was no different against the Longhorns, as Mashack was the primary defender for freshman phenom Tre Johnson. Last round against Texas A&M, Johnson scored 20 on 8-21 shooting. Mashack held him to just seven shot attempts. The senior guard also contributed offensively, with a season-high 13 points, four assists, and seven rebounds. Barnes complimented the play of Mashack.
“Proud of our guys. We knew it was going to be tough early. Jahmai Mashack was a guy that I thought defensively set a great tone for us trying to guard Tre Johnson. He’s a terrific player.”
What’s Next
The Vols have a matchup with the current top overall March Madness seed, Auburn, tomorrow at 1:00 PM CST. The Vols are aiming to secure a top-four overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and need wins against Auburn and in the championship to do so.