Tennessee basketball: Grant Williams broke records in this week review

No3. – Turner got the starting nod

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. That’s an old saying a lot of people use in everyday life. However, Rick Barnes doesn’t care about what a lot of people do. Barnes well… he does his own thing. He believes if something is good it could be great. And, if something is great, it could always be better. You could say he demands excellence.

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This week against West Virginia, Barnes changed the starting lineup for the second time this season. And, yes it was just as much a shock as it was the first time.

In the midst of Lamonte Turner’s shoulder injury, Barnes made the switch to move Jordan Bowden to the bench and give the starting nod to Yves Pons.

The move worked for Bowden who began SEC play averaging 19 points per game through the first four games. Bowden has scored in double figures every conference game except Vanderbilt.

Turner was inserted back into the rotation against Georgia where he scored six points in 15 minutes of action. As conference play progressed so did Turner. He scored 12 points against Florida and 21 against Arkansas.

The most recent game against West Virginia, Turner received the nod to start for the first time in over a year. And, once again it appeared Barnes made the right move. Turner led all Vols with a season-high 23 points on 8-for-10 from the floor, including 3-for-5 from deep.

Having Turner in the starting lineup improved ball control and helped Tennessee get out to a ten point lead by halftime. We will see if Turner finds anymore starting time. One thing is for sure, he and Bowden off the bench was a scary duo.