Tennessee Basketball: Five Takeaways from Vols First Exhibition Win

Feb 17, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; The Tennessee Volunteers warm up before the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

5. The Tempo Was Not a Lie

We already knew that Tennessee Basketball under Rick Barnes would be fast, up-tempo, and reminiscent of the old Bruce Pearl days.

But even then, what transpired Friday night was unlikely.

The Vols had 62 points in the first half alone on 44 possessions while shooting 50 percent from the field. In the second half those numbers were cut down to 38 percent shooting, and they only scored 34 points.

But the team still finished with 96 points, even if the close out shooting percentage of under 45 percent is not the best number.

The tempo affected the play on both sides of the court.

The Vols allowed 83 points to the Chargers, but they held them to 35.5 percent shooting from the field in the first half. However, while the Vols’ offense lost it a bit in the second half, the Chargers picked it up and shot 51.5 percent from the field to finish 43.8 percent overall.

What is clear, though, is that this team is going to be incredibly fun to watch throughout the year. Barnes is making this team out to be similar to Bruce Pearl’s first team in 2005-2006. They are not very big or deep, but they can control the tempo of games enough to make sure things work in their favor.

With not a lot of size, this is the perfect case of Barnes adapting to his personnel, and it will be exciting for Vols fans to see throughout the year.

It was just an exhibition, but to see Tennessee play like that was a great sense of nostalgia.

Next: #4: Kevin Punter Has Issues at Point Guard