By Jay King
NASHVILLE, Tenn – It’s not that often that you hear that Tennessee upset Vanderbilt, but that is exactly what happened today.
This game felt like a Vanderbilt win for most of the way through. It was in a tough environment at Memorial Gymnasium, where Vandy was coming off a loss, that they almost pulled off a big-time comeback win over Missouri.
Also, this was a revenge game for Vanderbilt, as forward Jaylen Carey transferred from the Commodores to Tennessee in the offseason.
The crowd was letting him have it, as they were booing him every time he got the ball, including some explicit chants throughout the game.
This was a game where Vanderbilt led for a good part too, almost doubling the Vols’ time with the lead, 23:31-12:57.
Head coach Rick Barnes thought that they would not have won this game earlier in the season.
“[Mental toughness] is what we improved the most, two games in a row, back-to-back,” said Barnes.
This is once again a resume-boosting type of win that the Vols needed to boost their seeding.
What went right?
Tennessee did what they have done best all season: rebounding. They outrebounded the Commodores 39-30, resulting in a 12-6 advantage in second-chance points.
The defense wasn’t just good, it was clutch. This showed, as Vanderbilt didn’t score a single field goal for the final 2:25.
While the offense might have been spotty most of the game, it was hot when it mattered. The Vols ended the game on a 9-2 run when Vandy scored its last field goal.
The clutchness of the offense was shown on forward Nate Ament’s go-ahead shot with 54 seconds left. Ament had a Vanderbilt defender smothered on him as he released the shot.
Tennessee never trailed after that.
“It reminded me of the old Meadowlark Lemon trick when he hid it in his shirt,” said Barnes. “I didn’t know where the ball was.”
Free-throw shooting has been improving throughout the season, and this game showed it, as Tennessee shot 71.4% from the charity stripe.
Bishop Boswell had a strong game defensively, as he had two steals and four rebounds, while also having two strong layups in the final 2.5 minutes.
“They tried to gamble on a steal… and I took advantage of it,” Said Boswell. “Rather than turn it over, I’d just get the shot up.”
Lastly, the freshmen DeWayne Brown and Amari Evans both had good games, too. Brown was able to hold down the fort for 30 minutes, with eight points and four rebounds, and Evans played 19 minutes and had five points and three rebounds.
“Amari, and Bishop… and DeWayne, those guys were the key to the game today,” said Barnes.
What went wrong?
This was not a good game from three for the Vols. It improved more in the second half, when they went 3-for-5, but a 1-for-7 first half from behind the arc was not an ideal start.
It also felt like the shot selection throughout the game needed improvement.
Lastly, Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner was hard to stop, as he had an efficient 16 points, including two different back-breaking three-pointers.
“[He’s] super quick… [he] got a lot better from last year to this year,” said Boswell.
What’s next?
Tennessee’s next test is on Tuesday night, as they go on the road to play a hungry Missouri team, who is right on the bubble.
Tennessee needs to keep up the momentum from today, because Tuesday’s game has trap game written all over it.