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Tennessee basketball: 3 takeaways from Vols win vs. Texas A&M

By Caleb Calhoun

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 10: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team during the 67-65 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second round of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 10, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 10: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team during the 67-65 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second round of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 10, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee basketball won its third straight SEC game by defeating the Aggies 75-62. Here are three takeaways from the Volunteers’ victory.

Tennessee basketball won its third straight game in the SEC Saturday, closing the deal against the Texas A&M Aggies. The win helped to alleviate panic surrounding Vols fans after their 0-2 start in the SEC.

With the win, Tennessee basketball moved to 3-2 in the SEC. Texas A&M did move to 0-5, but considering the injuries and schedule they faced before the Vols, they were still a difficult team. As a result, this remains a big win for Rick Barnes’s squad.

In addition to moving to 3-2  in the SEC, the Vols moved to 12-4 overall. With a Top 5 strength of schedule and a Top 15 RPI, this win only further helps their situation in trying to reach the NCAA Tournament. That’s especially true considering how difficult the Vols’ schedule is about to get.

Over the next week, the Vols face the Missouri Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks on the road. Given the difficult nature of those games, it was crucial for them to win this one.

And with the win, Barnes and co. finally have a bit of breathing room. Here are three takeaways from Tennessee basketball’s victory against the Texas A&M Aggies.

1. Free throw shooting remains a huge difference. 

You can’t foul the Vols! A major trademark of Barnes’s recruiting has been finding guys who could shoot from the foul line. That made a huge difference for this team on Saturday. Texas A&M could not stop Tennessee basketball on the inside, so they fouled them. It didn’t work, as the Vols went 20 of 23 from the free throw line. This is huge for Tennessee going forward.  As the Vols remain deadly shooting free throws, defenses will have to back off. That’s especially true on the inside game. And that leads to our next point.

2. Tennessee basketball showed it has multiple options inside.

Grant Williams is the star for the Vols in the paint. However, he’s going to have off nights. On top of that, teams are going to sell out to stop him. As a result, other players have to step up, and that’s exactly what happened in this game. Kyle Alexander finally showed back up with 14 points, and Admiral Schofield added 12 points. Even on a bad shooting night, Williams still had nine points. But to have help was crucial. And it’ll be a big deal for him and the Vols going forward.

3. Jordan Bowden is still not aggressive enough.

The Tennessee basketball guards came to life again in this game, hitting clutch shots when needed. Lamonte Turner gave seven points off the bench, and Jordan Bone provided 10 points and four assists. However, the real story is Jordan Bowden. Bowden had 15 points on 50 percent shooting, including from three. He needs to keep this up because he’s a huge threat. The more he commands attention, the more other guards get involved. On top of that, Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield can do more damage when Bowden is a threat. He was a threat in this game and needs to continue it.

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