Observations from Tennessee’s Win over Montana
By Tucker Harlin
#11 Tennessee (3-0) earned its third win of the season with a 92-57 trouncing of Montana (2-2). Not only was this the first Big Sky win for Rick Barnes, but it also tied him for second-most wins in program history with Don DeVoe.
The Vols weren’t gifted this one from the jump, but a nice second half performance allowed them to cover the spread by 10 points.
Here are my observations from the Vols’ win over the Grizzlies
FIRST HALF
Montana came out and hit some threes early in the game, sitting at 60% from distance at the 16-minute timeout.
The aptly named Money Williams scored 16 for the Grizzlies in the half. It felt as if Tennessee was sleeping at the wheel on defense, especially with Zakai Zeigler parked on the bench for five minutes with a pair of fouls.
Tennessee didn’t lead comfortably till the later stages of the frame.
The unlikely first half hero for Tennessee was Igor Milicic Jr, who scored 14 points and went 2/3 from distance. He finished the night with a standard double-double of 18 and 10.
A 40-31 halftime edge was welcome with the difficulties Tennessee encountered on defense.
SECOND HALF
The second half unraveled quickly on Montana.
Chaz Lanier and Felix Okpara were a big part of the quick start for the Vols, scoring 13 apiece. Lanier was 3/5 from distance while Okpara did much of his work down low.
The game evolved in a dunk contest down the stretch. Okpara and sophomores Cam Carr and J.P. Estrella all went acrobatic in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Additionally, freshman point guard Bishop Boswell saw extended minutes at the end of both halves. Rick Barnes was optimistic about his potential for growth in the system in the postgame availability.
OVERALL
There wasn’t a ton for Tennessee gain going into the night, but this win is at least a confidence booster for some of the younger players. We knew guys like Igor Milicic and Cam Carr could contribute, we just hadn’t seen it in bunches yet.
The Vols continue their non-conference schedule against Austin Peay Sunday. The game tips off at 3 p.m. ET and airs on SEC Network Plus.
