Tennessee basketball: Vols steal a game with a clutch performance

Tennessee basketball pulls out a close win on the road against Ole Miss. Here are three takeaways from the game.

Ole Miss was ready. The crowd at The Pavilion at Ole Miss was ready.

And, what a game it was.

Tennessee basketball got out to an early 11-3 lead, and the Vols were back, right? Well no, then came the rotation problems that we have been talking about lately.

Yves Pons and John Fulkerson bring unique skills into the game, but it’s hard to justify playing them at the same time. That gave Ole Miss a perfect opportunity to shoot themselves back in the game. The Rebels finished the game 9-for-23 from the three-point, and a few of the makes just make you shake your head.

Mississippi took a five-point lead into halftime, but the Vols clawed back and made the second half just as enjoyable. Well, that’s if you are a fan of Tennessee.

The Vols found themselves in yet another late-game contest. With just 2:38 left on the game clock, Breein Tyree pulled up for a deep three-point jumper to put Mississippi up two points. On the next possession, Schofield missed a free throw, and it started to look like another loss was coming.

The game came down to the final possessions with just seconds left on the clock. Lamonte Turner had the ball, but this time he made the right play buy letting Grant Williams win the game. Williams like always came through in the clutch and won the game for Tennessee.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

1. Lamonte Turner’s shot selection was much better

If you read anything, I wrote the past week you know I’ve been hard on Lamonte Turner. It’s not because I think he’s a bad player. In fact, I really like Turner. I think he’s a tough guard and shoots the three-ball better than anyone on the team.

But, when he forces shots, he hurts the Vols more than he helps.

Before Ole Miss, Turner was just 4-for-23 from the three-point line. That’s not the Lamonte Turner Tennessee needs to win games.

Tonight he was much different even though there were still a few shots that were questionable. Turner finished the game with just four attempts from deep. And, although he only made one shot from beyond the arc, it’s much better than 1-for-7. Turner finished with 17 points on 8-for-12 from the field.

See what he can do with better shot selection?

2. The offense needs to run through Grant more

Grant Williams finished with 21 points and yet I still feel like he didn’t get enough touches. He did attempt the most shots for the Vols with 13, but a lot came later on in the second half when the game was on the line.

Tennessee’s best offense is when Williams gets the ball on the elbow which provides him with many options. He can take the bigger defender off the dribble. If the double team comes, he is one of the best passers in the country.

Running through Grant is never a bad thing, and Tennessee needs to do it more often. They went away from Williams in the second half until it mattered and then Williams took over.

3. Davis/Tryee vs. Williams/Schofield didn’t disappoint

Coming into the game, we noted how Breein Tyree and Terence Davis were the second leading scoring duos in the SEC. Of course, they only trailed Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield. The two duos didn’t disappoint.

Tryee/Davis finished with a combined 32 points on 11-for-25 from the floor. The guys accounted for eight assists and were huge down the stretch attempting to pull the upset.

But, peanut butter and jelly showed up and showed out. Williams/Schofield scored a combined 32 points and was clutch at the end of the game to lead Tennessee to the win.

The Vols are back in action on Saturday when the Kentucky Wildcats come to Thompson-Boling Arena. The game is huge in terms of SEC standings.