Tennessee sometimes looks like the No. 5 team in the country. Sometimes it looks like …

The Vols defeated LSU, 65-59, Tuesday night before thousands of empty seats in Maravich Center in Baton Rouge. Alas, they looked a lot like the lowly Tigers. The winners hit 41.1 percent. The losers hit 41.2. LSU worked hard on defense. It had nine steals.

“Sloppy” was Rick Barnes first choice of descriptive words. The Vols had only 11 turnovers but they were not crisp. There wasn’t much question which team was going to win but the ending was ugly. Tennessee had a 61-46 lead with three minutes remaining. The Tigers won the finish, 13-4.

Tennessee was dominant in rebounding, 44-28, and won the point battle in the paint. LSU had no match for 6-11 Felix Okpara. He was an intimidating defender of the rim, scored 15, went six-for-six on field goals, three-for-three on free throws and had seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

He also provided keen insight: “It’s hard to win on the road. We knew what this game meant.”

The Vols are 23-5 for the season, 10-5 in the Southeastern Conference. The victory was a landmark on Barnes’ record. He has 829 career wins and is tied with John Calipari for the most among active coaches.

Barnes said what he always says, “It isn’t about me. The record belongs to players. They get it done.”

The coach did add that longevity and the talent he has had to work with are “a blessing from God.”

This victory fit the Vols’ pattern of consistently inconsistent. This team is good. It simply refuses to be great. It won a really big game in College Station on Saturday. The Tigers were less of a challenge (3-12 in the SEC, 10.5-point underdogs) and the Vols didn’t appear mentally ready.

Late in the half, LSU went 6:49 without scoring but trailed at intermission by only 26-23.

Guard Jahmai Mashack #15 gets an open shot at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisianna, on February 25, 2025.

Tennessee broke away in the second half. Zakai Zeigler took over the attack. The Tigers didn’t have a guard who could stay in front of him. Chaz Lanier warmed up. Jahmai Mashack set a torrid pace on defense. There was one problem. The Tigers didn’t go away.

Barnes decided to count the triumph.

“This league has been brutal, really brutal. You can play well and not come out on the high end.”

The coach was on target with his game plan.

“We felt coming in that was our number one emphasis, that we had to get to the offensive board, had to get to the lane as much as we could.”

That happened.

“Honestly, the game played the way we thought it would. They have fought all year long.”

Barnes expressed respect for LSU and coach Matt McMahon. He saluted the Tigers’ aggressive defense.

“I thought they played hard, as hard as anyone we played.”

The coach liked the fact that Lanier got nine rebounds but didn’t like that he got only 11 shots.

“We want to get him more shots but he has to want them. He needs to work harder to get about eight a game.”

Lanier scored 14 but hit only five of his 11 attempts. Ziggy scored 17 but was six-for-14 and one-for-five on long shots. Igor Milicic got seven rebounds but had an off-night on offense – four points, two of nine and zero-for-three on threes. He even missed his two free throws.

Enough of that. What comes next is bigger. Alabama will be at Food City Center on Saturday, 4 p.m. start. The Vols go to Ole Miss on March 5. South Carolina will be at UT on March 8 for the Volunteers’ Senior Day.

Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com