By Jack Glennon
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Though fans and analysts of college basketball alike will argue that exhibition games are meaningless, I believe that this notion could not be further from the truth.
On Sunday evening, the Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team hosted the NCAA’s all-time fourth-winningest school, the Duke Blue Devils, for a pre-season exhibition.
The Jon Scheyer-led Blue Devils reigned victorious, defeating Knoxville’s beloved Vols 83-76 in exhilarating fashion.
The exhibition gave both teams a much-needed opportunity to face off against a fellow title contender after falling short of a national championship in April.
“It helps us a lot,” Scheyer said. “This is one of the hardest places to play. I think we [grew] in a hostile environment.”
It also gave the Volunteers an idea of what their identity might be heading into the season.
Unsurprisingly, Tennessee fans can expect Rick Barnes’ Volunteers to play physical defense, which will make them at least competitive in every game this season.
Such physical defense, however, can often manifest itself as undisciplined. It certainly did tonight, with the Volunteers committing 19 personal fouls.
Duke capitalized, converting on 25-27 free throw attempts.
This is just one of multiple issues from a season ago that remained unresolved for Tennessee on Sunday.
Tennessee was out-rebounded by Duke 48-39, and dominated 16-9 on the offensive glass.
Duke forward Cam Boozer outpaced Tennessee center Felix Okpara 23-8, including six offensive rebounds, and helped the Blue Devils score 16 second-chance points in the win.
The Volunteers’ season does not officially tip off until Monday, Nov. 3, but Sunday’s contest was a small preview for the team’s upcoming campaign.
Defeating the No. 6-ranked Blue Devils, albeit in an exhibition game, is no simple task. Just five days ago, Duke dismantled the UCF Knights (a 20-17 team last season) by a score of 96-71.
The Volunteers as a whole looked rough around the edges. However, freshman phenom Nate Ament’s performance was particularly concerning. Ament shot 5-19 from the field (0-5 on three-point attempts), and went 4-6 from the charity stripe.
Though Ament found other ways to contribute, totaling a team-high ten rebounds, it was abundantly clear that Duke’s relentless perimeter defense forced Ament well outside of his comfort zone offensively.
“[That] is the most physical game he’s ever been in,” Barnes said. “We’re going to learn from it… It’s his first game.”
Though anticipation should remain high for the five-star recruit, Volunteer fans should perhaps scale back their expectations for the 18-year-old forward, who finished with a -9 plus-minus.
Senior transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie’s night was equally challenging.
He scored 18 points, but shot 5-21 (3-12 from deep), committing two turnovers along the way.
“He didn’t mix it up enough,” Barnes said. “Ja’Kobi [also] has to be better defensively. Good teams [will] make you pay.”
The fact that Tennessee lost by just seven while their top two offseason acquisitions shot a combined 10-40 from the field is a testament to their depth, particularly in the frontcourt.
It also serves as a reminder for the Volunteers’ coaching staff that over-dependence on the roster’s top talent can be extremely volatile, as displayed in 2023-2024 with Dalton Knecht, and again in 2024-2025 with Chaz Lanier.
Though the Volunteers have some encouraging takeaways from Sunday’s exhibition, most notably the fact that they were able to hold Duke to just 24-69 from the field, they looked exhausted throughout the second half.
Though exhibition games will not count toward Tennessee’s final season record, shortcomings exposed by opposing teams in such games are still grounds for concern.
Overall, the Volunteers have work to do before they officially begin their season against Mercer, on Monday, November 3, at Thompson-Boling Arena.