Observations from Tennessee’s Win over Austin Peay
By Tucker Harlin
#11 Tennessee (4-0) defeated Austin Peay (3-1) 103-68 in Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center Sunday.
This one got out of control early and stayed out of control for Austin Peay, so I’m going to keep my observations limited this time around. The bigger fish will be fried in the Bahamas on Thursday and Friday.
FIRST HALF
Austin Peay wasn’t able to contest Tennessee inside at all.
The Vols carried a field goal percentage in the 80s, scoring 34 points in the paint. Igor Milicic finished the half with 15 points while Zakai Zeigler scored 10.
Defensively, the Vols stole the ball nine times, about half of which were Chaz Lanier’s doing.
SECOND HALF
Tennessee picked up where it left off with its interior offense.
Milicic finished the day with 23 points on an 11/14 shooting performance. Felix Okpara and Cade Phillips continued to attack the rim, scoring 12 and 13 points respectively.
Zeigler finished the day with three of Tennessee’s five makes from distance, the other two belonging to Jordan Gainey and Cam Carr. Austin Peay was able to add in some occasionally makes from three, but it didn’t have the steam.
Bishop Boswell and the walk-ons all played in the closing minutes. Grant Hurst was the lone walk-on to score.
OVERALL
Rick Barnes’ squad broke the century mark for the first time in 2024-25.
This win was supposed to serve as a tune up of sorts for Tennessee, and it did that. Six Vols scored in double figures and Tennessee trimmed down its turnovers to 11 against the Governors.
Chaz Lanier was relatively absent on the offensive side. Governors coach Corey Gipson noted the fact they concentrated much of their defensive effort on Lanier, and as a result it opened up opportunities for players like Milicic, Phillips, and Okpara to have big nights.
One last note was the absence of J.P. Estrella, something Barnes and the staff say is a “day-to-day” issue.
The Vols head to the Bahamas to face Virginia (3-0) in the Baha Mar Hoops Championship Thursday. The game tips off at 9:30 p.m. ET and airs on CBS Sports Network.
