Tennessee basketball: Vols pull away for big win after sluggish start

Tennessee basketball improves to 6-1 on the season with a win against Texas A&M-CC. Here are three takeaways from the Vols 28-point win.

Sunday afternoon didn’t start out so special for the Tennessee basketball team. The Vols were waiting in line to grab a seat while Texas A&M-CC was in full lunch mode.

Five minutes into the game, Tennessee found themselves down 10-4 and playing some of the sloppiest basketball we’ve seen all season. It wasn’t until halfway through the first half that Tennessee tied the game up thanks to a Jordan Bone three-point jumper.

In typical Tennessee fashion, they started to impose their will on the game and pulled away. That’s even with Grant Williams getting off to a slower start than usual. Here are three takeaways from the game.

1. Jordan Bowden plays to his potential

It was the second game in a row that usual starter Jordan Bowden came off the bench. Rick Barnes has wanted Bowden to be more aggressive on the offensive side of the ball, and he finally showed us in the 79-51 win.

Off the bench, Bowden scored 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. He added four rebounds and two steals which helped to the Vols back on track on the defensive side of the ball. Maybe Bowden has found a place off the bench scoring the basketball. It could go a long way in creating depth for the SEC schedule.

2. Tennessee’s defense is good without being good

I don’t want to overanalysis or overreact, but even when the Vols don’t play their best, they are still really good. Rick Barnes hasn’t been pleased with the defense this season, and they aren’t playing as good as they did last season. However, they still have a top-15 defense according to Kenpom.

If it weren’t for a last second wide open layup, Tennessee would have won the game by 30 points and held Texas A&M-CC under 50 points. It would have been the second time this season the Vols held an opponent under 50 points if they could have got it done.

3. Grant Williams quietly gets his

I think we could be impressed by Grant Williams every single game. I’ve said this before, but he could go unnoticed the entire game and have a double-double. He isn’t the most athletic nor does he have much flash to his game but it is effective.

Williams finished the game with 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. He is so good on the low post that he just wears down the defenders throughout the game. While that stat line is nothing to turn up your nose about, Tennessee needs Williams to score at least 20 points or more to beat Gonzaga.

This won’t do much for the overall resume for the Vols, but a win is a win. Next up is the Gonzaga Bulldogs next Sunday. The game will be the second top-10 matchup of the season for Tennessee.