Tennessee picked up its biggest win of the season, knocking off arch rival Vanderbilt in Nashville 69-65 on Saturday afternoon. The game was won because of the Vols' resilience, with Ament struggling, J.P. Estrella out, and having to grind out a road win against a good team that started with an early lead. Tennesse couldn't buy a bucket in the first half, but they scratched and clawed their way back into the game, and eventually picked up the win. It felt like they turned the corner again on Saturday, and Rick Barnes seemed to agree.
The Vols have grown not only physically but mentally according to Barnes. He said:
"To answer the first part, no, I don't think we would have won it a month ago. When you talk about toughness, it's not just the physicality part of it, it's the mental toughness part. That's where we've improved the most. Two games in a row now, back to back, where we've had less than 10 turnovers."
Keeping the ball away from Vanderbilt and opponents in general as of late has proven to be a significant difference maker for this team.
Barnes said, "Early into conference play, we were throwing everything all over the place, having no purpose, what we were doing on offense. We've gotten better with that, but we still, like every team right now, we still got to get better, and that's been our thought process all year. But proud of the way we hung in there, and at the end, some things fell our way."
The strides this team has made in a month were remarkable. When Tennessee lost to Kentucky for the first time, many fans thought the season was over, and now, fans are thinking a Final Four run is very much in play.
Tennessee has a tough week ahead
Despite picking up the huge win, Barnes is having a short-term memory. Tennesse still has two huge games ahead, taking on Missouri on the road Tuesday and then hosting Alabama on Saturday night. Barnes said, "You can have a great win and it mean nothing if you don't put it behind you. Enjoy it for a little bit, get ready for the next game, because it's gonna be hard Tuesday night in Missouri."
Banres is right, Tennessee has to circle the wagons and get right back to it, because Mizzou has its back against the wall and is looking to make the NCAA Tournament.