By SCOTT FELTS
The 21st ranked Tennessee Volunteers hosted the Texas Longhorns on Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. The Vols came into the game 0-1 in the SEC, but having won six of the last eight overall and four in a row against Texas.
The Vols used multiple scoring runs, aggressive defense and improved free throw shooting to win 85-71, and send the Longhorns home with their second SEC loss.
Let’s go Beyond The Box Score and take a deeper look at the Vols’ first SEC victory of the season.
The Real G of the Game: Vols PG Ja’Kobi Gillespie reached career highs for points (34) and field goals made (12). In addition to his game-high point total, Gillespie also logged four rebounds, five assists, and three steals with only 2 turnovers. The leadership he is showing should benefit the younger players as the season progresses and have the Vols better prepared for a postseason run. Backup Amaree Abram did get seven minutes after a DNP in the Arkansas loss. The game was Gillespie’s seventh this season with at least 20 points.
Stifling Swain: Junior guard/forward Dailyn Swain leads the Longhorns with 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He was coming off a 34-point performance against Mississippi State, but the Vols held him scoreless until just under 10 minutes remained in the first half. He finished the game with only five points, three rebounds, and four assists.
Defense is King: Tennessee came into the game with the SEC’s top scoring defense, outscoring their opponents 83 to 65 on the season and having won nine in a row when scoring 80 or more points. The Vols held Texas to 33 first-half points, the Longhorns’ second lowest halftime total of the season. Tennessee’s defense played aggressive but smart as Texas leads the country in getting to the line but only shot 10 free throws in each half. The Vols held Texas to 39% field goal shooting.
Boards Crashed?: Coming into Tuesday’s games, the Vols led the nation with a 45.0 offensive rebounding percentage according to KenPom and a plus-13.7 rebounding margin. Rebounds were a little harder to come by Tuesday. The Vols lead the nation in offensive boards but ended with only a 15-10 advantage and just seven more total rebounds than the Longhorns for the night. J.P. Estrella led the Vols with six boards.
Free Throws Fixed?: After missing 25 free throws combined in the previous two games, the Vols started out 6-6 from the line and finished the game 21-29 for 72%. Tennessee was 15th in the SEC and 285th in the country in free-throw percentage coming in at 68.6%. Five Vols missed one free throw each while Jaylen Carey was 4-7 and Gillespie was 5-5.
Paint By Numbers: The Vols out-scored Texas 28-14 in the in the paint in the first half on their way to a 44-18 advantage. That is an impressive feat against Texas’ imposing front line. The Vols were able to get a third foul on Longhorns 7-foot center Matas Vokietaitis in the first half and a fourth early in the second.
Up Next: The Volunteers play Saturday at unranked Florida at noon on ESPN. The Gators (10-5) are the defending national champions and the preseason pick to win the SEC but have started the season with five losses.
Tip Ins: Tennessee is now 144–15 under Barnes when holding its opponent to 39% or worse field goal shooting. … This is the third game in the season that Gillespie scored at least 20 points in the first half. … Carey ranks third in the country with a 20.6 offensive rebounding percentage.