All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee basketball: 5 things we learned about Vols from SEC Tournament

By Caleb Calhoun

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 16: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team during the 82-78 win over the Kentucky Wildcats during the semifinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 16: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team during the 82-78 win over the Kentucky Wildcats during the semifinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

5. Lamonte Turner is still clutch.

There are thousands of reasons to get mad at Lamonte Turner when you watch him play a game. He refuses to give Grant Williams the ball when Williams is matched up perfectly underneath the basket. Too often, he’ll force three-pointers to get himself going.

And when neither is working, he’ll think he’s making the smart decision by forcing the ball to the basket despite the fact that, again, he’s usually ignoring Williams and Admiral Schofield in the process. Then he’ll turn it over.

But even when he’s in those major slumps, Turner is money when it counts. He showed that again on Saturday as Tennessee basketball came back to beat the Kentucky Wildcats. Turner hit the go-ahead three that gave the Vols the lead for good.

He also came up huge on defense, though, forcing a major turnover that allowed for that eight-point comeback. That was after fans were ready to quit on him due to his poor play throughout the game, which was a large reason Kentucky built a lead. The three-pointer was almost identical to what he hit in Lexington to beat the Wildcats back in 2018. That one helped them complete a regular season sweep.

As a result, in the tournament, Turner will likely make numerous mistakes. But if a game gets close, the Vols should do whatever they can to give him the ball. He’s just one of those guys who finds a way to come up big and make the smart play when it matters most, and you have to give him credit for that.

Home/Vols Basketball