Tennessee basketball: Grant Williams leads Vols to a win

Rick Barnes and the Vols looked good against Louisiana. Here are the three takeaways from the game.

It didn’t take long for the Tennessee basketball team to start pulling away from the Ragin’ Cajuns. The Vols move to 2-0 on the season and they look like the number 6th ranked team in the nation.

The fireworks started early with an alley-oop to Grant Williams on an in-bounds. That got the Vols going as they shot 54 percent from the field.

The good shooting came from great offensive patience and spreading the floor. Jordan Bone and Admiral Schofield were fantastic getting the ball to the open shooter. Bone finished the game with eight assists, and Schofield finished with seven.

1. Grant Williams look better than ever

I honestly can’t believe I’m saying this because Williams has been so solid during his time on Rocky Top, but he’s even better than last season.

Williams showed tonight he’s been working on his outside jumper. At one point during the game, he was 3-for-3 from three-point range. He did, however, force a three late in the game, but when you’re feeling it, you’re feeling it.

Williams finished with a double-double with 31 points and ten rebounds. If he can hit the outside shot, he could be unstoppable.

2. Kyle Alexander is a difference maker

We said it all last season, and now we are repeating it. Kyle Alexander means a lot to the Tennessee basketball team. The senior big man played 30 minutes and impacted more shots than we could count.

I thought as good as Alexander was last season he played a step too fast. I know we only have two games this season to judge, but it looks as if he has slowed down a bit and it’s paying off.

Alexander finished the game with ten points on 5-of-6 shooting and added five rebounds with three blocks. Alexander also made both of his free throw attempts.

3. A lot of assists but too many lazy turnovers

No one can knock the Vols for passing the ball. They looked great sharing with 27 assists. Bone led the way with eight assists, Schofield followed with seven, and Jordan Bowden finished with four. But, this is nothing new, this team passed well all season long a year ago.

However, there were too many lazy turnovers. I’m not just trying to find something negative to write, but Rick Barnes wasn’t happy with a couple of decisions. It wasn’t the fact they were turnovers because turnovers are going to happen. They were lazy because they came when the Vols were leading big and on outlet passes.

Bone had back-to-back turnovers in the second half by playing too fast. Of course, Barnes needs Bone to play fast but too fast turns into a problem.

The Vols take their 2-0 record into a game against Georiga Tech next Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena. That will be the last game before Tennessee heads up to New York to play in the Preseason NIT Tip-Off against Louisville.