Tennessee basketball struggled in the first half against Georgia. The Vols led by two points in the first half, which was absent from Tennessee's offensive explosion. Tennessee totaled 25 first-half points, continuing its offensive efforts from the previous two games.
The Vols pulled away in the second half to win 74-56 over a solid Georgia team. Tennessee will be tested virtually every conference game this season, so the second-half performance was needed for Tennessee to continue improving throughout conference play.
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee's leading scorer, scored only two points in the first 20 minutes of the game, which is not good enough for Tennessee to win this game or compete for an SEC or National Championship.
Lanier was off all night, finishing with only five points, but that didn't stop the Vols offense from exploding in the second half. Rick Barnes went into halftime, made adjustments, and Tennessee fixed its issues to score 49 second-half points and pull away from Georgia.
A big reason for that is Zakai Zeigler's efforts, Tennessee's locker room leader. Zeigler took over the second half, finishing the game with 16 points, seven assists, and six steals. Those six steals made Zeigler Tennessee's all-time steals record holder.
While Zeigler took over, he didn't lead the team in scoring. That honor belongs to Jordan Gainey, who finished the night with 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Gainey's success is huge for Tennessee's return to the team we saw prior to last week. Lanier was absent, which means Tennessee needed someone to stand up and carry the load on offense. Gainey and Zeigler shared that success and combined for 35 points.
Tennessee needs its leaders to continue to step up if the Vols want to compete for a championship. Zeigler will show up every game for the Vols, but they are just missing another consistent leader who will step up during conference play. That could be Lanier, Gainey, or Jahmai Mashack, but Tennessee needs consistent leadership to continue its dominance in the second half.