Tennessee basketball: 3 takeaways from Vols win vs. Ole Miss
Tennessee basketball kept the winning streak rolling with a convincing win against the Rebels 94-61. Here are three takeaways from the Volunteers’ win.
The second game in a row that Tennessee basketball fans lost their breath. With 17:53 left in the second half Admiral Schofield went up to block and shot and came down on his right foot. It did not look good. On a positive note, Schofield walked off the court on his own power and came back into the game.
There are a lot of problems when the Kentucky Wildcats are the next team on any team’s schedule. Not only is playing the game tough but it makes playing the game before Kentucky more of a challenge.
It makes it more difficult for Tennessee basketball since Kentucky is such a hated rival. Vol fans could only hope that the team would be focused on Ole Miss and not be looking ahead to the big game against the Wildcats on Tuesday night. No signs were pointing to a lack of focus as the Vols took care of business in a 94-61 blow out win against the Rebels.
With the win, Tennessee takes a five-game winning streak to Lexington to take on Kentucky with the chance of beating the Wildcats two games in a row for the first time since the 1999 season.
The Vols are 17-5 overall and 7-3 in the SEC standings which puts them in second place only behind the Auburn Tigers.
The next two games will help determine if there is a regular season SEC title in the Vols’ future. After the game against the Wildcats, Tennessee travels to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide. A scary two-game stretch for the Vols as both Kentucky and Alabama play well at home.
We saw another excellent game of basketball from the Vols. Now they can focus their attention on the Wildcats. Here are three takeaways from Tennessee basketball’s win against Ole Miss.
Excuse me, Sorry for the Blocks…not
Look, former Tennessee Vol Dane Bradshaw deserves a ton of respect, but his comment during the game about Rick Barnes should redshirt Kyle Alexander is absurd nonsense. He is the glue of the team.
Alexander had himself a game. In the first half, he grabbed a rebound on a missed Tennessee free throw twice. He added a block and a steal. Oh, and there is the part where he had eight points and six rebounds.
In the second half, Alexander continued his remarkable play. He ended the game with fourteen points, six rebounds, two steals, and four blocks. Yep, four more blocks. I’ve been on this for a while; Alexander is the most improved player on the team and in the SEC and maybe in the country.
James Daniel III Stole the Show
James Daniel stole the show in the first half with his swiping skills. If you missed the game, I’m sorry I can’t do his steals justice in words. Just know they were fantastic. One he slid across the court to snatch the ball.
Along with the exceptional defense, he continued his impressive play offensively against the Rebels. He wasn’t scoring the basketball, but he impacted the game by creating shots for his teammates against an Ole Miss zone that was causing the Vols problems early.
This Team is a Contender
I know, the next two games are going to be tough for Tennessee basketball but I’m ready to say this team is for real. The Vols are on a five-game winning streak and have won the past three games by over 20 points a game. The Ole Miss outcome? Another 20 plus point win.
Five Vols were in double figures scoring. They had eleven steals with only five turnovers. If Vanderbilt can beat Auburn later Saturday night, Tennessee will be within one game of first place in the SEC.
Get ready Vol fans. This team is legit.
*Kyle Alexander block update: He has had at least one block in each of the past six games. That gives him a total of 16 in that six-game span.*