Going into Tuesday night, Vols fans were definitely nervous about the trajectory of their basketball program. The Tennessee basketball team had lost three straight games, and things were looking bleak. The Vols hosted Louisville and absolutely ran them out of the gym 83-62.
The game was an all-around team effort. Everyone pitched in on both ends of the floor. The Vols were playing terrific defense, and that led to transition opportunities on offense. One of the most defining stats from Tuesday night was the depth of Tennessee's basketball team.
The Vols bench outscored Louisville's bench 34-3. Yes, they outscored the Cardinals by an absurd 31 points. It's also worth noting that nine different players scored for Tennessee, showing off their overall depth.
Tennessee's bench outscores Louisville 34-3
This team is deep. Very deep. Let's not forget that the Vols just lost Cade Phillips for the year and didn't skip a beat. The development and talent evaluations of the roster by Rick Barnes have been outstanding.
Jaylen Carey came in and scored 12 points and also added 10 boards. He was virtually unstoppable down low in the first half. Pat Kelsey was completly ticked off at the fact he was dominating them. Amari Evans was a perfect 3/3 from the field and added seven points. He only played seven minutes but his time out there provided a major spark for Tennessee.
You can’t help but feel like this team can make some noise in the SEC if they have a lineup that's ten players deep. I'm confident that down the stretch in February and March, when teams are tired, sore, and injured, is when this depth will shine.
You can argue that its just one game, but more often than not Tennessee's bench is out scoring opponents. This isn't just a random one-off thing. Game in and game out, the Vols' depth shines. Rick Barnes deserves all the praise for the roster he's recruited.
You can’t overlook the fact that Tennessee has a roster that is gritty, physical, and has ten or so guys that are capable of playing at a premier level.