Tennessee Basketball delivered an impressive performance in Toronto on Saturday—posting a final score of 75-62 over #20 Washington.
Saturday came as the first true test for the 2019-20 Vols as they hit the road to face #20 Washington. Tennessee displayed the poise of a veteran squad in route to a 13 point win over the Huskies. Even that margin doesn’t tell the full story of a game that was never really in doubt. The Vols took a lead 1:37 into the game and it would hold steady until the final buzzer.
In the first half the Vols were in control and proficient on the offensive end, racking up 15 assists on their 15 made field goals. Honestly, to better describe the level of domination—at the 10:28 mark in the first half, Tennessee’s lead would not fall below 7 points. It was an overall eyebrow-raising and efficient performance versus a Washington squad that ranks #15 nationally in defensive efficiency and featured two potential NBA lottery picks in Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels.
Jordan Bowden again displayed aggression for the third straight game, an aggression the Vols will heavily rely on the rest of the way and for any type of post-season hopes. Bowden was the Vols leading scorer and continued his hot steak behind the three point line going 3-5. Lamonte Turner had another tough night shooting, but still finished with 16 points (9-11 FT) and was the Vols leading rebounder with 7. Turner also fished out 8 assists and with that, he is now ranked #2 nationally with 9.2 assists/game. John Fulkerson had an offensive outing as well, posting 14 points and grabbed 6 boards.
Vols’ Yves Pons continued his string of offensive performances with his third consecutive game of 15 or more points.
Pons also amounted 4 blocks and 4 rebounds for another all-around solid performance. The emergence of Yves Pons for Tennessee has altered the trajectory of the season considerably, while simultaneously alleviating pressure off of the Vols’ heralded five-star freshman Josiah Jordan-James. Speaking of the freshman, James built some confidence on Saturday delivering a solid stat line of 9 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds to cap his night.
Going into the season, most national analysts labeled the Vols as a consensus NCAA Tournament team, although a few leaned more towards Tennessee as a bubble team. It can be questioned as to how that has changed now that Tennessee Basketball is 3-0, with that third win being a game that many projected the Vols would drop. While home contests against UNC-Asheville and Murray State provided bits of optimism, it was Tennessee’s performance in Toronto that would likely initiate a considerable jump nationally.
Indeed so, that jump became evident on Monday with the Vols season debut in the newly released AP Top 25, aptly replacing Washington at #20 in the country. Despite the Vols relative lack of star power, the #20 ranking is well-deserved. Per kenpom, Tennessee is #10 nationally with a 109.6 adjusted efficiency rating(points scored per 100 possessions/adjusted for opponent). Those numbers are pretty incredible for a team that lost over 70% of production from last year. Going further, the Vols have a 90.1 defensive efficiency rating (good for #44 nationally) and as many know—most Elite Eight or Final Four teams rank in the Top 30 in both categories. By no means would I proclaim this Vols team to achieve either of those feats, but a Round of 32/Sweet 16 season should be on the table.
Tennessee Offensive Stats (national rank):
– 46.2% 3PT (#3)
– 19.7 assists/game (#14)
– 0.678 assists/FGM
– 56.2% effective FG (#36)
Tennessee Defensive Stats (national rank):
– 0.189 Opp FTA/FGA (#20)
– 29.3 Opp 2nd half pts/game (#29)
– 6.3 blocks/game (#15)
Although analytic deductions over a three game sample size isn’t recommended, the Vols placing themselves #30 or higher nationally in various significant categories is a great beginning to a long 2019-20 season ahead of us.
Up next, Tennessee has games against Alabama State and Chattanooga in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols should be well rested heading into the Emerald Coast Classic—where the Vols face Florida State on November 29th.
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