Tennessee basketball: Admiral Schofield led the Vols to a Senior Night win

The Tennessee basketball team sends the seniors out with a win on Senior Night. Here are three takeaways from the game.

Brad Woodson for a Tennessee three!

You’d be hard-pressed to find a dry eye in Thompson-Boling Arena when the seniors were being recognized, especially when Admiral Schofield started shedding tears.

It was only fitting that Kyle Alexander started the game by pulling down the first rebound and Schofield made the first shot. But, of course, right? It was Senior Night.

The Vols weren’t playing particularly well but still had a 24-15 lead a little over halfway through the first half. Jordan Bone made one of the best bounces passes, threading through defenders to Kyle Alexander who threw down one of the best dunks of his career.

The Bulldogs were able to keep in close trailing just six points at halftime. But, just five minutes into the second half, the Vols were already up 14 points and the game seemed to be out of hand. Tennessee ended up winning by 17 points in what turned out to be a sleeper in the second half. Here are three takeaways from the game.

1. Perfect home record

Tennessee basketball finished the season with a perfect home record. The last time that happened was back in the 2007-08 season.

This season has looked a lot like that magical season, which also saw a No.1 ranking in the nation and some impressive wins throughout.

Here is a list of all the home wins this year.

Lenoir Rhyne – W

Louisiana – W

Georgia Tech – W

Eastern Kentucky – W

Texas A&M-CC – W

Samford – W

Wake Forest – W

Tennessee Tech – W

Georgia – W

Arkansas – W

Alabama – W

West Virginia – W

Missouri – W

Florida – W

South Carolina – W

Vanderbilt – W

Kentucky – W

Mississippi State – W

If you were counting that is 18-0 in Thompson-Boling Arena this season. In fact, the home win streak moves to 26 wins in a row dating back to last season.

2. Schofield and Alexander had a big Senior Night

As we’ve mentioned Senior Night’s are always bittersweet. Admiral Schofield led the team with 18 points on 7-for-13 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from the three-point line.

We predicted that Kyle Alexander would account for a double-double and while he only scored six points he did grab ten boards. This is the type of Alexander Tennessee needs to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

3. Vols defense is back

Tennessee played like a team that is a favorite to win a National Championship against Mississippi State. And, while the offense was efficient shooting near 43 percent from the field, it was the defense that led the way.

The Vols have held three of their last five opponents to under 55 points. It started by holding Vanderbilt to 46 points. A couple of games later, they held Kentucky to a season-low 52 points. And, on Senior Night, Tennessee held a very talented Mississippi State offense to 54 points.

The Bulldogs shot just 33.3 percent from the floor and 25 percent from the three-point line. The Vols were able to hold Quinndary Weatherspoon to seven points on 3-for-12 shooting. They also were able to turn the Bulldogs over 17 times.

The Vols are back in action on Saturday against the Auburn Tigers to wrap up the season. The game is a must-win if Tennessee wants a chance for a one seed in the SEC Tournament.