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Tennessee basketball: Remembering Vols five previous SEC/Big 12 Challenge games

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 26: Wesley Harris #21 of the West Virginia Mountaineers, Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers, Derek Culver #1 of the West Virginia Mountaineers, and Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers work for position before a play during the second half of their game at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 26, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 83-66.(Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 26: Wesley Harris #21 of the West Virginia Mountaineers, Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers, Derek Culver #1 of the West Virginia Mountaineers, and Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers work for position before a play during the second half of their game at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 26, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 83-66.(Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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2. Jan. 27, 2018

No. 22 Tennessee Volunteers at Iowa State Cyclones

Tennessee wins 68-45

Here, Tennessee basketball was looking for its first road win in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. They came into this game, however, red-hot and rolling. The program Rick Barnes was building was finally taking off thanks to experience. The Vols scored non-conference wins over the No. 18 Purdue Boilermakers and at the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Despite an 0-2 start in SEC play, UT then reeled off five wins in six games, using an upset over the No. 17 ranked Kentucky Wildcats as a launching pad. That set the stage for their matchup with the Iowa State Cyclones, a team that was rebuilding at the time under third-year head coach Steve Prohm with an 11-8 record.

The Vols took advantage. Thanks to red-hot shooting from Lamonte Turner off the bench, as he went six-of-nine from three-point range en route to 20 points, UT won this game 68-45. James Daniel III added 16 points off the bench, and Admiral Schofield led all starters with 10 points. Grant Williams and Kyle Alexander each grabbed 10 rebounds.

In the process, Rocky Top dominated. Iowa State would slide to a 13-18 season, and the Vols had taken off as a program. They would use that momentum to win three more in a row, including at Kentucky for a regular season sweep, and they would end up sharing the SEC Championship while making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

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