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Tennessee basketball: Three takeaways from Vols 66-45 win at Vanderbilt

By Caleb Calhoun

ST. LOUIS - MARCH 26: Smokey, the Tennessee Volunteers mascot, and a cheerleader celebrate the win over he Ohio State Buckeyes during the midwest regional semifinal of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Edward Jones Dome on March 26, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. Tennessee defeated Ohio State 76-73. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS - MARCH 26: Smokey, the Tennessee Volunteers mascot, and a cheerleader celebrate the win over he Ohio State Buckeyes during the midwest regional semifinal of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Edward Jones Dome on March 26, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. Tennessee defeated Ohio State 76-73. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Rick Barnes’ Volunteers rebounded Saturday as Tennessee basketball beat the Vandy Commodores in Nashville. Here are things we learned from UT’s victory.

They got back on track in impressive fashion Saturday. Tennessee basketball dominated the Vanderbilt Commodores 66-45 at Memorial Gym, withstanding the magic that comes with that stadium, to get back above .500 in the SEC.

UT was locked in a battle early, going into halftime only up 21-20. However, they opened the second half on a 10-0 run, and they consistently pulled ahead after that to secure what eventually became a blowout victory in Nashville.

With the win, Rocky Top improves to 3-2 in the SEC and 11-6 overall, while Vanderbilt falls to 8-9 overall and 0-4 in the SEC. Up next for them is a Tuesday night home matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels. Here are three takeaways from Tennessee basketball’s win.

1. Veterans were dominant…in the paint.

We knew this would apply to John Fulkerson, and he had 12 points and eight rebounds. But with Jordan Bowden and Yves Pons slumping heavily from outside, they decided to score inside in this game, with Bowden only taking two three pointers (and hitting neither) and Pons taking none. Still,

Bowden managed to score 21 points, getting to the hole a lot and going to the line. Pons, meanwhile, joined Fulkerson in joining 12 points. A big part of this was the fact that the Vols turned up the tempo in the second half. While Uros Plavsic still develops, this is a method Rick Barnes should employ. UT can dominate in transition, and they did it in Nashville.

2. Young guards still need to be more consistent.

Although Jordan Bowden appeared to return, he is still slumping from outside. As a result, Tennessee basketball still needs more from Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi, and on the scoring front, that wasn’t too common Saturday.

James was two-for-eight and only had six points, and Vescovi was two-for-six and only had five points. The two also combined for eight turnovers, leading Tennessee basketball to commit 18 overall, which is a problem with them splitting point guard duties. They are young, but they still have to show more of their potential.

3. Defense, rebounding and free throw shooting is back.

Transition basketball had something to do with this, as did horrendous Vanderbilt shooting, but at the same time, you have to give the Vols credit. Vandy made history by going 0-for-25 from the three-point line on the night, and UT forced 17 turnovers.

Meanwhile, the Vols shot 13-of-14 from the free throw line, which helped them make up for what is still a team slump when it comes to shooting from the outside. Add in eight blocks, and this team did all the little things. That’s how they’re going to win as they develop while still slumping, and it’s what Barnes clearly needs to see more of.

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