By Ari Patel
The 2026 Tennessee Volunteers squad has been the same story every night out: a tale of two halves. Friday night was no different as the Vols held on to beat Tennessee State 83-78.
The Vols fell behind 5-0 in the opening two minutes. Over the first 10 minutes, they were outrebounded 13-7, with Tennessee State dominating the offensive glass 7-1.
Dwayne Brown, one of coach Rick Barnes’ two returners, collected three fouls early and eventually fouled out with nine minutes remaining, finishing with zero points and one rebound in eight minutes.
“Yeah, I’m disappointed … Dwayne Brown is better than that. We need him,” Barnes said postgame.
Braedan Lue stepped into Brown’s role, playing 31 minutes, grabbing seven boards, and dishing out four assists.
“I thought Braedan did a good job. I thought he went in and tried to do everything he could. I thought he fought to rebound,” Barnes said.
The lone offensive threat for Rocky Top early on was Cal transfer Dai Dai Ames. The Chicago native scored 11 of the team’s first 13 points, but was silenced for the remainder of the night, failing to score a field goal in the second half.
After a stretch of back-and-forth play, Tennessee came alive on both ends of the floor as Terrence Hill Jr. heated up, finishing the half with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Not all newcomers had a strong outing, however.
Preseason All-SEC second-team selection and Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris has experienced a slow start on Rocky Top. In the first half alone this season, Harris is averaging 2.7 points. Though he grabbed 10 boards Friday night, he finished with eight points on an abysmal 2-of-9 shooting performance, including 1-of-5 from beyond the arc.
After halftime, the Vols found their rhythm again. Shots began to fall, and Tennessee State felt the defensive pressure.
Tennessee built a 70-55 lead with 5:29 remaining.
The Tigers refused to go quietly, clawing back to make it a five-point game with 32 seconds left.
“I was impressed with Tennessee State tonight, but we knew they would play hard. We told our guys they’ll play as hard as any team we play all year,” Barnes said.
In the end, the Volunteers sank their free throws to survive the upset bid.
UP NEXT: The narrow victory raises questions about the team’s consistency ahead of a massive test. The third-ranked Michigan State Spartans, led by coach Tom Izzo, visit Food City Center on Tuesday.
The Spartans enter following a major win over Duke, a team that dominated the Volunteers in their second exhibition game. Tennessee hopes a win against MSU can serve as a catalyst for a grueling Southeastern Conference slate.