The 2018-19 Tennessee basketball team are off to a 2-0 start. Here is how those two games break down by the numbers.
The No.6 Tennessee basketball team is looking like the No.6 team in the nation. The season is off to a 2-0 start, and the games haven’t been close. That’s no surprise since Rick Barnes expects excellence from his team.
Just like football, here is a little by the numbers basketball edition. The numbers cover the first two games of the season.
100- percent field goal percentage for forward, John Fulkerson. Yes, it’s early, and yes he’s only taking five shot, but “The Fulk” is perfect from the field. Last season he scored a total of 52 points, this season he already has 11.
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66.7- three-point shooting percentage for Grant Williams. We talked all offseason about just how good Grant Williams could be with an outside jumper. He was already a great player, but it appears he does have a three-point shot now. He made three shots from deep all of last season, he’s already made four this year and has his percentage at almost 70 percent.
55.3- percent field goal shooting percentage. The Vols are shooting 55 percent from the field. That ranks them third in the SEC behind Mississippi State (57.8) and Georgia (57.1).
44- points for Vols junior forward Grant Williams in two games. Last year’s SEC Player of the Year averaged 15.2 points per game. In the two games this season, Williams has scored 44 points improving his average to 22 points per game at the moment.
40- percent three-point shooting percentage. The Vols have hit 14 three-point shots this season. That ranks them fourth in the SEC, and the 40 percent also gives them the fourth ranking in the league.
The should improve once Admiral starts hitting his shots from deep. He is currently shooting just 25 percent from deep. He was close to 40 percent last season.
33.5- winning margin in the first two games of the season. The Vols have looked like the No.6 ranked team in the nation. They are 2-0 with wins over Lenior-Rhyne and Louisiana.
25- assists per game. The players are once again passing the ball very well. They are averaging 25 assists per game this season which ranks them second in the SEC only behind the Georgia Bulldogs.
10th- in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency according to Kenpom.com. Tennessee had one of the best defenses in the nation last season. Rick Barnes has his boys playing hard on that side of the ball again. They rank tenth in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, the only SEC ahead of them are the Florida Gators.
7- blocks for Vols big man Kyle Alexander. One of our goals for Alexander this season was for him to lead the SEC in blocked shots. So far he is doing just that. Alexander leads the league with seven blocks in two games.
5- players averaging in double figures scoring. One of our bold predictions for the 2018-19 season was for Tennessee to have five guys average in double figures. Through two games, the Vols are doing just that, even without Lamonte Turner. The averages look like this: Williams (22), Schofield (14), Bone (14), Alexander (13), and Bowden (10.5).
The Vols turn their attention to the Georiga Tech Yellowjackets who come to Knoxville on Tuesday at 9:00 pm. This will be the last test before heading to New York to play Louisville in the NIT Season Tip-Off. If Tennessee and Kansas both win their first-round games, the will meet in the Championship Game on Friday, November 23.