March Madness: 5 things we learned about Vols after the first weekend

2. Nothing rattles the Vols. 

We saw this at times during the regular season, but the Tennessee Vols further showed their mental toughness in March Madness. When the Colgate Raiders came back on them to take the lead, they didn’t panic. It just took the usual stars to step up and put it back in control.

Then, in the second game against the Iowa Hawkeyes, they had every reason to panic when it went into overtime. Iowa had all the momentum after a 25-point comeback. But the Vols remained level-headed enough to pull out the win.

The momentum swings back in their favor included the clutch play of Lamonte Turner and Admiral Schofield against Colgate and then Grant Williams being the go-to guy he needs to be in the second round. That’s something that should truly favor this team when things get tight in the next two rounds.

We know that this team is capable of getting red-hot at anytime, and even the Kentucky Wildcats learned that an 8-point lead isn’t safe with two and a half minutes in a game. It’s the best thing about these guys.

Tennessee basketball is truly a team, and Rick Barnes has gotten them to trust each other. As a result, they never panic under pressure, and even leaders like Admiral Schofield are able to be level-headed and realize that he should be on the bench in overtime against Iowa because his foul troubles make him a liability on defense. Simply put, these guys will never panic.