Five Takeaways from Tennessee Vols’ SEC Tournament Victory Over the Vanderbilt Commodores

The Tennessee Volunteers advanced to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals by shocking the Vanderbilt Commodores 67-65. Here are five takeaways from their win.

Two games into the SEC Tournament, the Tennessee Vols are clearly the shocking story so far, dominating the Auburn Tigers in what was basically a play-in game before shocking the Vanderbilt Commodores 67-65 in the first round.

Related Story: Vols Shock Vanderbilt in SEC Tournament

As a No. 12 seed, they have highlighted the parity of the conference more than anybody else, and in front of a bunch of Tennessee fans in a Nashville audience, they have lots of momentum right now.

Whether or not Tennessee can continue this hot streak is up for debate. But the Vols certainly have raised some eyebrows despite only a 15-18 record without their best player in Kevin Punter Jr.

But after blowing out Auburn, Rick Barnes’s team jumped out to a 15-point lead against Vanderbilt and Kevin Stallings, a team that was clearly their worst match-up of the year. And they were then able to hold on to win.

Here are the biggest five takeaways from Tennessee’s shocking 67-65 victory over the Commodores.

1. Armani Moore does not want his season to end.

For the second straight game, Armani Moore was the key in every way. Moore came away with 14 points on five-of-12 shooting from the field along with five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.

Forget the stats sheet, though. Moore did a heck of a job playing the point-forward once again without Punter, involving everybody in the offense. That was the biggest story of the game. He out-hustled a ridiculously tall Vanderbilt team with three seven-footers under the basket, he played tough defense, and he was key to beating a late zone the Commodores threw in.

Everything that went into Tennessee beating Vanderbilt had something to do with Moore.

2. Tennessee out-hustled Vanderbilt under the basket.

As we mentioned with Moore, Vanderbilt is a huge team and clearly Tennessee’s worst match-up. The Commodores played with three seven-footers, and with only seven players on the court for the Vols, they had three more offensive rebounds.

Considering the fact that Vanderbilt made more shots from the field, shot a better percentage from three and from the field, and only had two more turnovers, the difference was the heart and discipline of the Vols. They drew more fouls and fought harder under the basket.

Those numbers spoke to more heart than anything else, and it is why this team deserves a ton of credit for the character that it showed.

3. Robert Hubbs III remains very efficient, but not aggressive.

This has been a big issues for Robert Hubbs III all year. He shot .500 from the field with 10 points against Vanderbilt, following shooting .750 with only seven points against Auburn. Now to be fair, this may be something Barnes has strategized for him given the fact that Tennessee has won both of these games.

But a bit more aggression from Hubbs would go a long way, especially when other teams run a zone against Tennessee the way Vanderbilt did. Not enough aggression from Hubbs was a huge reason for the Vols not holding onto their double-digit lead.

If Tennessee wants to continue advancing, it is hard to see that happening unless Hubbs can take more of an active role with Kevin Punter Jr. out.

4. Tennessee has developed some serious mental toughness.

Back to some good news, the Vols are no longer panicking anymore when they blow big leads. Rick Barnes has been big on stressing tempo and warning of runs that teams would make going up against his system throughout his first year in Knoxville.

But up until this conference tournament, it seemed that every time Tennessee blew a big lead this year, which was common, they would panic and quit. That did not happen in this game.

Vanderbilt took the lead twice in the second half after fighting back from 15, and the Vols took it back each time. The only reason they needed that break at the end to win was because of mixed free throws. But it had nothing to do with them panicking because the game got too close.

More volunteers: 5 Things the Vols Must do to Win the SEC Tournament

5. The Vols have learned to take advantage of breaks.

Tennessee forced 10 turnovers off the Commodores in the first half, and they converted many of them into points. They also managed to score a lot of easy buckets when facing the basket. Those are two things that plagued them throughout the season.

Despite shooting below 40 percent from the field, the eye test said that they mostly took advantage of their opportunities. When Vanderbilt and Kevin Stallings jumped into a zone, Barnes was willing to trust Hubbs and Detrick Mostella from the midrange and outside to break it.

And while they didn’t do a great job at it, they were good enough. That was all that was needed to advance in front of a Tennessee crowd against their worst match-up.