THE DAY AFTER: ILLINOIS

5 keys to how the Vols showed their “championship makeup” in beating the Illini...

We had talked all week about Tennessee Basketball’s Saturday matchup in Champaign with Illinois.  We knew this would be a tough test for the Vols...likely their toughest test so far this season.  The Illini were ranked 19th nationally as recently as a week and a half ago, and has a starting lineup that is built for March.  A great mix of young prospects and strong transfers, and a top tier coach in Brad Underwood...this was going to show us a lot in terms of what kind of team Tennessee can be this season.

Well, now we know about Tennessee...and what type of team they ARE!

The nations #1 team took countless body blows on Saturday in a raucous State Farm Center in Champaign.  Tennessee also weathered one of the more poorly officiated games I’ve seen in a long time, and emerged with a stirring if not pretty 66-64 win.  There were many chapters in this story; some not very pretty, some that exemplified the Vols grit and mental toughness, and then that last chapter, which finished with one of the most memorable game-winning shots we’ve seen in decades at Tennessee.  There were key moments and performances in this game that left me feeling good about the trip to Champaign, and what the future looks like for Tennessee...so let’s get to my Top 5:

1)  This team finally had to endure a game where they didn’t shoot the ball well – We’ve been waiting for it...the dreaded game where Tennessee can’t get a shot to fall.  By and large in this game, the shots didn’t fall...the Vols shot 32% from the field for the game.  But that’s when you call on an elite defense to do what they do, holding the Illini to 29% shooting from the field.  This was a “rock fight” in every sense of the word...the intensity was high, and there were no, and I mean no easy shots!  Still, Tennessee hit the last shot of the game, and in the end, that’s all that matters!

2)  The officiating was uneven...but the Vols rose above it –

45 fouls called and 64 free throws shot between both teams in this one; any attempts for meaningful game flow were tamped down by the constant wave of foul calls, particularly in the first half.  Felix Okpara gets two fouls in the game’s first 4 minutes, then Chaz Lanier and Zakai Ziegler spend most of the game in foul trouble.  Ultimately, both of them would foul out, but the Vols persevered and squeezed meaningful minutes out of Darlinstone Dubar and Bishop Boswell along with a virtuoso performance from Jordan Gainey to win the game.  So, about Gainey...

3)  Jordan Gainey delivers his best performance as a Vol –

Many Vols fans...myself included, had trouble forgetting that 5-6 week period last season when JG’s shooting went beyond ice cold, and had become a true liability during that span.  But he bounced back and was a critical contributor during the Vols Elite 8 run.  This season, he has erased all of those memories for me, and it was punctuated by Saturday’s performance against Illinois.  Sure, the length of the floor drive and game winner was what most will remember, but Gainey’s contributions throughout the game were just as important.  23 points. 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal was a great line, but Gainey also logged 34 minutes, 2nd most on the team in a game where Chaz and Zakai had limited availability.  He also played with poise, was patient on numerous occasions in waiting for the right moment to take his shots (he was 6-14 from the field, 3-6 from 3, which in this game was the best shooting line any Vol had), and never felt like the stage was too big for him.  For the guy that Illini Coach Underwood was heard on TV saying is “not a handler...he’s not comfortable doing that”, he sure looked comfy on that game winner BRAD!!!  Seriously, if we continue to get that type of productivity from Jordan off the bench...really, just close to that type of productivity, then this team’s ceiling has just been raised considerably!

4)  Igor Milicic’s contributions came from everywhere –

I talked about it on Under Review (Noon-3:00 PM daily on Fanrun Radio) for days now; as good as Chaz Lanier and Zakai Ziegler are, Igor Milicic Jr. is just as important to Tennessee’s success as those two are.  On Saturday, Igor reminded us about all the things he does on the court, large and small.  It would be easy to look at his shooting line (2-13 FG, 0-8 from 3) and dismiss his performance, but know this:  the Vols don’t win this game without Igor!  The dude scored only 7 points, but had 14 rebounds, 5 of them on the offensive glass, an assist, a steal, and a block, in 37...that’s THIRTY-SEVEN minutes, and his steal and break-away dunk late in this game was a huge turning point for Tennessee.  Back to the playing time though, the 37 minutes by Igor allowed Tennessee to still maintain a bit of length out there...key consideration when you see that Felix Okpara played a total of 8 minutes on Saturday.  So between Igor and Gainey’s minutes, those two were able to almost offset the unusual amount of down time the Vols experienced with Lanier, Ziegler, and Okpara.  That’s what champions do...they find a way to win...whatever it takes!

5)  Jahmai Mashack was, once again, the heartbeat of the team just when they needed him most – So it was another typical line for ‘shack...6 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, and a block in 32 minutes.  But as I’ve said time and again, it’s all of the things that don’t show up in the box score that Jahmai does that make him so valuable to this team.  He was assigned to Illinois wunderkind Kasparas Jakucionis, the true freshman who is projecting as a lottery pick in the next NBA draft, and it was tough at times...even for a defensive expert like Mashack.  But while Jakucionis got his, with 22 points, he had to work his ASS off for those points, shooting 5-15 from the field, getting to the line 14 times, but taking a beating to get to the line.  He also had 7 of the Illini’s 11 turnovers.  That’s the “Jahmai Mashack Effect” for ya...he’s there...always...making it difficult, exhausting you, and all the while providing leadership on the floor for his team, a team that was missing a lot of that leadership with Zakai sitting.  I mentioned Igor Milicic Jr. as one of the most important players on this Tennessee team, well there should be no doubt that Jahmai Mashack is right there in that classification.  I’ve never seen a player who isn’t a scorer mean so much to a team’s success, their on-court persona, and their overall team culture.  As we discussed with Vols Assistant Coach Gregg Polinsky last week on the show, we all need to enjoy what we have in Jahmai, because he is truly one of one when it comes to his impact on this team.

It's all part of a group that has experience, maturity, and alignment with each other. Those components are just as important as the dudes on the roster...4 star, 5 star, what have you, come March.  That maturity and resolve exposed the Illini’s youth and inexperience as a team, as talented as it may be, and should give all Vol fans great optimism as we get closer and closer to what will likely be the most competitive SEC season that we’ve ever seen.  We have a team built to make a Final Four, hell, even win a National Title...and being able to be in that conversation is a great place to be, and it further underscores the elite caliber of program that Rick Barnes and this staff have built.  Let’s enjoy the ride!!!