SEC Tournament: Three takeaways from Vols’ second-half dominance in win vs. Mississippi State
Friday started with a wild upset in the SEC Tournament as the Texas A&M Aggies beat the Auburn Tigers. Tennessee basketball was not about to let the same thing happen, and after close first half, they pulled away in the second to beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs 72-59 and reach the semifinals for the fourth straight time.
Rick Barnes’ team, ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll and No. 11 in the Coaches Poll, never trailed after a Kennedy Chandler three put them up 3-2 less than 30 seconds into the game. However, Ben Howland’s Bulldogs consistently kept it close, only trailing by two at halftime.
UT went on a 12-2 run to open the second with four threes, to take control. Rocky Top improves to 24-7 overall and advanced to the SEC Tournament semifinals to face the winner between the Kentucky Wildcats and Vanderbilt Commodores. Mississippi State falls to 18-15. Here are three things we learned from the Vols’ victory.
1. Josiah-Jordan James led an elite three-point shooting night.
There’s no question about it, Josiah-Jordan James was the difference in this game. He was +10 in the first half before leaving due to foul trouble, which allowed Mississippi State to cut it close. Then he started the second half. That 12-2 run mentioned in the opener? It was because James hit four straight threes in a matter of five and a half minutes.
James’ play is what put the Vols in control, and he finished with 16 points and 4-of-6 from three. Santiago Vescovi obviously got in on the action, going 2-of-6 from three for 10 points. Chandler went 1-of-2 from beyond the arc with 11 points, and Zakai Zeigler went 1-of-3 with 11 points. UT went 8-of-19 from outside for the game.
2. Solid inside play spurred elite ball movement.
In addition to the Vols shooting well from outside to open the SEC Tournament, they also found an inside game. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had a surprise emergence as a starter, scoring 10 points and shooting 5-of-9 from the field. John Fulkerson came off the bench to score another eight and grab six rebounds.
The Vols won the paint 32-22 against a team that’s all about going inside. That’s impressive, and combined with their elite shooting, it made for superb ball movement. UT had 21 assists and just six turnovers, an amazing ratio. Zeigler had eight assists with three steals. Chandler had six assists and two steals. James had four assists and one steal. Even Fulky had two assists.
3. Injuries and foul trouble kept the first half close.
Foul trouble for James was the biggest problem, which was shown by him returning to open the second half and immediately put the game out of reach. However, two injuries also happened in the first half, as Chandler and Huntley-Hatfield both hurt their ankles, forcing Chandler to leave the game for an extended period of time.
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They all were back by the second half. Although Chandler did his work in the first half, James and Huntley-Hatfield were the second-half stars. Those two scored 20 of their combined 26 points in the second half, and that’s why UT is advancing in the SEC Tournament.