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Tennessee basketball: 3 takeaways from Vols’ 66-61 win vs. Furman

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 17: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts in the second half of a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 17, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. North Carolina won 78-73. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 17: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts in the second half of a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 17, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. North Carolina won 78-73. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee basketball rebounded from a loss to UNC to defeat the Furman Paladins 66-61. Here are three takeaways from the Volunteers’ ugly victory.

It wasn’t pretty, but Tennessee basketball got the win. Coming off a heartbreaking loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels this past Sunday, the Vols looked like they were headed for two straight losses.

However, they managed to put those fears to rest late to finish with a 66-61 victory. With the win, Rick Barnes’s team moves to 8-2 on the year. And the No. 21 ranked Vols score another big win over a smaller but very solid team that will likely win its conference before another huge road game Saturday against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Despite struggling at Thompson-Boling Arena, Vols fans still have to be happy about the situation the program is in. Again, Furman is a pretty solid team. So it wasn’t practical to expect a blowout, even if a game this close was also a surprise.

Nonetheless, the Vols got the win. Here are three takeaways from their performance.

1. Offense is still struggling if the outside shot isn’t hitting.

This is becoming an issue. Lamonte Turner has struggled for two straight games now, and although Grant Williams was himself while Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bowden came back to form, Tennessee basketball’s inside out offense has been a bit of a concern the past two games. Why? Their shots haven’t been falling.

The Vols shot 25 percent from the three-point line against Furman. However, if their shots aren’t falling, they should have enough versatile players to find other ways to score. They did just enough of that Wednesday, but it was ugly. And it’s something that needs to get better.

2. The Vols can clearly close games.

I didn’t get this take from the start. Tennessee basketball defeated the Purdue Boilermakers in overtime, and they didn’t have any late collapse against the Villanova Wildcats. Meanwhile, their only other loss came to the North Carolina Tar Heels. Yes, that was a collapse. But it doesn’t make sense to create the narrative that they can’t close games.

Anyway, the Vols put that to rest temporarily with their win over Furman. Sure, it’s just Furman, but that’s two wins they have now in games that are within five points. In fact, they have a 2-1 record in such games. In fact, they are 4-2 this year in games that are within 10 points. So stop with this narrative.

3. Defense remains great.

This wasn’t really a problem against the North Carolina Tar Heels, and it wasn’t a problem against Furman. While the offense struggled, Tennessee basketball’s defense was great. The impressive thing was the way the Vols held the Paladins to 61 points despite only forcing 13 turnovers.

That’s because they held this team to under 40 percent shooting from the field and nearly 25 percent from three. Tennessee basketball clearly plays a well-rounded defense, and on this night, it saved them from an upset loss.

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