Tennessee basketball: Vols drop their second straight road game

Tennessee basketball drops their second straight game against a top-15 opponent on the road. Here are the takeaways from the game.

I hope you enjoy free basketball because that’s what you got. The Tigers were able to play well enough to take the Vols into overtime. Where LSU eventually won the game thanks to one of the worst shots of the season from Lamonte Turner.

Just minutes before the game began we learned the Tigers were going to be without their leader, Tremont Waters. In his sophomore season, Waters was playing to an All-SEC type of level averaging 15.7 points per game with 5.9 assists per game.

Then, within three minutes of the game, both Kyle Alexander and Naz Reid found themselves on the bench with two fouls. Reid and Grant Williams got involved in a hook and hold. It ended with Williams on the ground and Reid with a flagrant one.

It was clear the game was going to be very physical.

Tennessee started making shots and running their offense, but so did LSU.  The Tigers needed someone to step up in the loss of Waters, and Skylar Mays did. For a while, no one was missing shots. But, the Vols started settling for mid-range jumpers, and the only one that was hitting was Admiral Schofield.

Schofield scored a team-high 13 points on 6-for-9 from the field, including 1-or-2 from the three-point line. Without Schofield, the Vols probably get down by at least ten points.

The second half was more of the same, LSU hung tough despite a poor performance from Reid. The Vols held tough thanks to Schofield doing his best to take the Vols home. Here are three takeaways from the game.

1. Schofield played like an MVP

Admiral Schofield can play some basketball.

Williams wasn’t quite there, even when he had open looks they didn’t seem to fall, But, Schofield was there to pick up the slack.

Schofield hit back-to-back three-pointers with around seven minutes that put the Vols up five points, and even Kyle Alexander hit a three-point shot.

While it wasn’t a true road game, Schofield went off against Gonzaga scoring 30 points on 6-for-10 from the three-point line. A week later, Tennessee went into Memphis and left with a ten-point victory. Schofield scored 29 points on 4-for-8 from the three-point line.

Schofield finished with 25 points on 10-18 from the field, including 3-for-6 from the three-point line. Despite carrying the team all game long when it came down to a last-second shot, Turner jacked up a long three, which is by far the worst shot of the season.

2. Alexander was a different player late in the game

Kyle Alexander was basically non-existent in the first half. He looked slow in defensive transition. He doesn’t play great help defense or at least he is a step late coming off the guy he is guarding.

But, late in the second half, the senior stepped up with a three-point jumper, a blocked shot, and a huge offensive rebound to milk the clock.

For Tennessee to be great, Alexander has to be good. And, while he struggled for most of the game, he stepped up when the Vols needed him most. It just happened not to be enough.

3. Vols couldn’t beat LSU without their two best players

Man, LSU is a really good team. They are tough to beat.

Even without Tremont Waters and basically no Naz Reid, the Tigers were able to keep the game close and even send it to overtime.

Credit is due to Grant Williams. He didn’t have his best game shooting, just 3-for-12. But, he held Reid scoreless most of the game. He finally scored late in the game on a free throw.

Skylar Mays and Ja’vonte Smart were fantastic by scoring a combined 52 points and got whatever they wanted driving to the rack.

It doesn’t get any easier as the Vols are back in action on Wednesday night as they travel to Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Ole Miss Rebels.