Tennessee basketball wins exhibition vs. Lenoir-Rhyne 103-62: Three takeaways

Well, it was a lot of fun to watch. Tennessee basketball played what appeared to be a complete game in its exhibition outing Saturday afternoon against the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears, which is where seventh-year head coach Rick Barnes played from 1974 to 1977. The Vols dominated all night, taking a 54-33 lead into halftime before winning the game 103-62.

It was their first exhibition in two years, and they put on a show in the process. UT played the game without John Fulkerson and high-profile center Jonas Aidoo. However, they still dominated on the inside, as three different post players scored in double figures.

Five players scored double figures overall, and the Vols put together a complete game. Up next for them is their official season-opener, which will take place at home Tuesday, Nov. 9 against the UT-Martin Skyhawks. Here are three things we learned from Tennessee basketball’s dominating exhibition victory over the weekend.

1. High-profile newcomers lived up to the hype.

While Aidoo, one of the five-stars, was out, the two other recruits who had five-star ratings in the Vols’ 2021 class were dominant in this game. Kennedy Chandler had 21 points, six assists and two steals at point guard. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had 15 points, 12 rebounds and a block.

Justin Powell, meanwhile, who transferred from the Auburn Tigers, went 4-of-8 from the three-point line and had 14 points. These three guys were the stars for Rocky Top throughout the day, and that’s good news when it comes to what the program added.

2. Three-point shooting became much more prominent.

The program record for three-pointers made in a regular season game is 16. It won’t count since it’s an exhibition game, but Tennessee basketball made 17 three-pointers in this game. That was a huge reason they broke 100 points.

A huge reason for this was the Vols attempting 46 on the day. Of course, without Fulkerson and Aidoo, it made sense that they would rely more on the perimeter in this game, but you have to wonder if this will continue.

3. Returning post players looked good but not returning guards.

Last year, Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic saw limited action in the post. They were at least expected to be rotational players this year. With Aidoo and Fulkerson out, they made the most of their opportunities. Nkamhoua and Plavsic scored 12 and 10 points respectively, and they each had six rebounds. That was the good news for this team.

On the other hand, Tennessee basketball’s three returning guards, Santiago Vescovi, Victor Bailey Jr. and Josiah-Jordan James, were supposed to be stars, but they all struggled. None hit double figures, and they combined to go 4-of-25 from the field. Vescovi did have seven assists, and Bailey and James each had two steals, but this was the biggest concern of the day.