Tennessee basketball passes first road test with defense

Lots of talk surrounding Tennessee basketball’s first road win, a 69-54 win over the Colorado Buffaloes, will be about Kennedy Chandler. It’s deserved, too, as Chandler led the way with 27 points. Santiago Vescovi hitting all five of his shots en route to 13 points will also be a story.

However, while individual stars stepped up on offense, the team defense is really what led the way. What Chandler and Vescovi did is indicative of how the Vols have been all year. They have so many weapons that different guys step up each day.

As a team, though, Tennessee basketball struggled with offensive efficiency. They went 6-of-24 from the three-point line and only 5-of-9 from the free throw line. That was not a good sign for a team that has lived and died from beyond the arc so far this year, but playing at a higher altitude, in Boulder, Colo., and on the road should have made it more difficult.

Defense is what saved it. Chandler, the three-point shooting and John Fulkerson, who still had 10 points, continue to be the main talking points for the Vols this year. Lost in all of that, though, is how successful they have been on the other side of the ball.

It began to show the other night against the Presbyterian Blue Hose. Without Josiah-Jordan James, the defense generated big plays in every possible way to set up the offense as the Vols won 86-44  in a blowout.

James came back for this game, and against much stiffer competition, the defense remained elite. UT held Colorado to 19-of-55, or 34.5 percent, from the field. Forcing 15 turnovers was solid, but it was their aggression down low that led the way.

The Vols had nine blocked shots. James led the way with four off the bench, and he also had two steals, putting an exclamation point on his welcome back. He wasn’t the only one, though. Numerous other players made up for having an off-day shooting.

Justin Powell, who went 1-of-8 from the field, still had two steals. Uros Plavsic and Zakai Zeigler each had a steal. Given the way Chandler and Vescovi were playing, Olivier Nkamhoua and Fulkerson didn’t have to do too much, but they each had two blocks and a steal.

Don’t underestimate how big of a deal this is. Rick Barnes has built a team that has options upon options to score offensively. However, regardless of who’s got the hot hand that day, they all collectively can dominate on the other side of the ball.

Having such success on that front in the environment they were in Saturday only bodes well for their future. They are still a young team, so there will likely be slip-ups elsewhere, but Tennessee basketball continues to prove it has many ways it can win.