The Tennessee basketball team put another win in the column, after defeating Cincinnati 65-56.
The Vols were led by John Fulkerson, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds on the day. The senior continued to battle in the post, as he recorded another double-double for his career.
The shooting for Tennessee never really got on track, as they finished the game 19-59 from field goal range and 2-12 from the perimeter. It was one of those games where this Rick Barnes defense took over and never really let up.
The Bearcats took the lead in the 2nd half, while also going on an 8-0 run at the 5:55 mark. But Tennessee continued to pressure the paint and force Cincinnati to take outside shots. The Vols defense forced 17 turnovers and scored 14 points off of them. Tennessee out-rebounded Cincinnati 45-34 on the game.
One of the key stats that jumped out were the 7+ points that were scored by seven different Vols. Being able to rely on your freshman, along with Anosike and Bailey were key in the Vols win.
Jaden Springer continued to show why Barnes loves him on defense, but he also had 11 points and 4 rebounds on the day. Keon Johnson had 7 points and 6 rebounds for Tennessee. Both of the freshman were key contributors for the Vols late in the 2nd half, which is a good sign of things to come.
Tennessee struggled to hit their shots today, though they had plenty of good looks. When this team starts hitting some of these open looks, it will continue to spell trouble for opposing teams. This group could’ve won by more than 15 points today, if just a few more close range baskets would’ve dropped. This should be a very good sign for Tennessee fans.
It wasn’t pretty if you like high scoring games, but Tennessee didn’t need that type of outing. They played hard on defense and got the Bearcats into foul trouble early on.
So, the season continues to look bright for this group and we continue to see glimpses of what the rest of 2020-2021 will look like. The Vols even scored 25 points at the free throw line, another positive for this group, as they continue to attack the basket.
Tennessee will be back on the court Tuesday, as they host Appalachian State, looking to go 3-0.
