Welcome back.
Tennessee basketball was fun again. Rick Barnes smiled. Others celebrated. The Vols racked up 85 points. They won by 40. They hit 58 percent. There was no mention of dreadful buzzer-beaters.
Josiah-Jordan James made news. He played – for the first time since Feb. 8. He showed no rust. He scored 18 on 7-for-11 shooting.
“We’re all really happy for Josiah,” said Barnes.
The coach was happy for the coach.
“We know what he means to the program. He was terrific. His presence has such a major impact on our team. He takes a lot of pressure off our guys. I thought he played with great poise and pace. He makes a huge difference.”
Four other Vols scored in double figures. Zakai Zeigler was outstanding, 13 points and 11 assists, his fifth double-double of the season. That is good. It ties the school career record set by Rodney Woods, Ray Mears’ point guard from 1972-75.
More news: Tennessee committed only four turnovers, fewest in Barnes’ eight seasons,
Almost forgot to tell you – South Carolina was the visitor at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Gamecocks aren’t very good but they showed dramatic improvement since the January game in Columbia. They lost that one by 43.
This time, strongman Hayden Brown was Carolina’s best offender – 18 points. Star freshman GG Jackson was pleased to score five against Jahmai Mashack’s smothering defense. Jackson was 2-for-12 from the field. In the previous meeting, he was shut out.
Mashack was outstanding at both ends of the floor. He contributed 14 points and six rebounds. Olivier Nkamhoua scored 10 and had eight rebounds. Uroš Plavšić scored 10 (5-for-5 on field goals but more missed free throws).
Santiago Vescovi, who has played through injuries and illness, added seven points, four rebounds and four assists. He missed eight of nine three-pointers.
One late moment delighted the big crowd. Isaiah Sulak, 6-5 transfer from Bossier Parish Community College, a full-time practice player, hit his first goal and free throw of the season. Teammates led the cheers.
Tennessee did not look like a team that had lost four of the last five games. It is still playing without top freshman Julian Phillips. New on the injured list is Tyreke Key (ankle).
“Tyreke’s deal, we didn’t know anything about it until right before game time,” said Barnes. “His ankle really blew up on him. He is not even sure why.”
Bad luck? Different shapes? Barnes has remained remarkably calm.
“I don’t think I would ever use the word frustrated with them. I would say, when you have expectations of winning every game, you’re always going to be disappointed. We’ve had a tough February yet we’ve had chances to win every single one, well, probably with the exception of one where I didn’t think we were very good.
“This group has been real with each other, transparent. I think they’ve shown resiliency. The one thing they haven’t done is stop working. Our practices … they’re going to compete.
“They’re a very unselfish group. They pull for each other. I think any coach in America would like to coach these guys.”
The coach praised ball security.
“I thought both teams played really hard. Only four turnovers.”
Barnes still remains optimistic.
“If we take care of the ball, get open shots, we’ve got a chance to be the offensive team that we know we might be.”
Senior Night: Tennessee is back at Thompson-Boling Arena for the final time this season for Senior Night, taking on Arkansas on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is matrvinwest75@g-mail.com
