The opening night of college basketball was very good to Tennessee, as the Vols scored a 88-53 win over Presbyterian.
Rick Barnes’ squad came out firing on all cylinders and had Presbyterian put away by halftime in taking a 46-14 lead into the break.
Some might call that a good half of basketball ? pic.twitter.com/P6kBsJB7XP
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) November 11, 2017
Defense was key as Presbyterian only managed one field goal during the first 10 minutes of the game.
Tennessee was led by Admiral Schofield who posted 22 points and five rebounds on the evening. Also, the Vols got nice contributions from Jordan Bowden and Grant Williams who both finished as double-digit scorers.
Davon Bell set the tone for Presbyterian — scoring 20 points coupled with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Barnes was able to show all of his team’s impressive depth as the Vols played 16 players in the contest.
Although, freshman forward Yves Pons only played 4 minutes after suffering a minor ankle injury in the early parts of the game.
Barnes has since said that Pons most likely could have resumed if necessary.
Sherrer’s Analysis
The Vols could not have started the season better. Both the offense and defense were impressive throughout the game.
Coming into this season, Tennessee knew it would need leadership from its returning players and that is exactly what Tennessee got.
Schofield, Williams, and Bowden were immaculate. The team is built around these guys and they know it. It’s a very good sign that all three players looked focused and ready to go for the season.
Fans should be happy with the way the team was able to play solid basketball on both ends for 40 minutes.
Obviously, Presbyterian is far from the best opponent that Tennessee will play; however, this game was a great tune up game in preparation for upcoming contests.
If UT can maintain the level of defensive intensity and leadership that was displayed against Presbyterian, I can see the Volunteers making some noise this season.
Tennessee will take on High Point in Knoxville on Tuesday night, where they will have the chance to progress to 2-0, before heading to the Bahamas to take on an always strong Purdue team in the Battle 4 Atlantis opener.