Tennessee continued its dominance on the court to begin the regular season on Sunday afternoon in Knoxville. After successfully taking down UT Martin by a score of 90-62 in the season opener last Tuesday, the Vols pretty much ran it back on Sunday against ETSU.
As former Tennessee assistant and now ETSU head coach Desmond Oliver made his return to Knoxville, the Vols defeated the Bucs by a score of 94-62.
In what will be a very common thread throughout the season, Tennessee’s star freshman Kennedy Chandler again put on a show. While driving to the basket early in the first half, Chandler flew around his defender and then went up and under for the bucket.
After the game, Oliver compared Chandler to the likes of NBA Champion Kyrie Irving with his quickness and playmaking on the court. Chandler finished the game with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, five rebounds, and six assists.
are you serious KC??
📺 @SECNetwork
📲https://t.co/53LhlpQXj9 pic.twitter.com/pInzsBgIIw— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) November 14, 2021
Preseason first-team All-SEC selection John Fulkerson made his season debut on Sunday after missing Tuesday’s opener with an injury. While it may have taken the big man a few minutes to collect his first points of the season, they sure did come with some style and aggression.
During an offensive possession about halfway through the first half, Tennessee freshman Zakai Zeigler took a pull-up jump shot that didn’t go in. Luckily for him, Fulkerson came flying in from the bottom side and put back Zeigler’s shot with a ferocious dunk. The crowd rained down cheers for one of Vol Nation’s favorite players.
In his season debut, Fulkerson finished with six points, ten rebounds, and three assists.
he's baaaaaack.
📺 @SECNetwork
📲 https://t.co/53LhlpQXj9 pic.twitter.com/I9mB8Jut5c— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) November 14, 2021
With so much speed and agility added to Tennessee’s team this last off-season, transition play seems to be a place where Tennessee can really thrive this season. Whether it is a player taking the ball straight to the hoop or drawing the defense’s attention before kicking it out, Tennessee will really have an opportunity to outshine its opponents in that specific area. A great example of this can be found in the second half of Sunday’s game against ETSU.
Halfway into the second half, Chandler ran the point while running down the court. With as much attention as Chandler naturally attracts, the defense flocked to him, leaving standout shooter Justin Powell open on the wing. Making it look easy, Chandler made the pass, Powell sunk the triple, and the Vols were right back on the defensive end of the court.
Powell finished the game with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. A spot-up perimeter shooter is something Tennessee has been lacking in seasons past, and Powell looks to be the answer this season.
transition triples @jtpowell241
📺 @SECNetwork
📲 https://t.co/53LhlpQXj9 pic.twitter.com/xdDALNVUh3— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) November 14, 2021
The last highlight, but certainly not the least, comes from Tennessee veteran forward Olivier Nkamhoua. While Chandler’s playmaking and Fulkerson’s return garnered quite a bit of attention, it was Nkamhoua who led the Vols to victory with a career-high 23 points on the night.
As time was winding down in the game, Tennessee’s offense ran a beautiful play at the top of the key. Fulkerson got the ball to Santiago Vescovi at the top of the paint, who lobbed the ball up to Nkamhoua, who threw it down with force.
Nkamhoua shot 9-of-14 from the floor, 2-of-2 from behind the arc, and also threw in eight rebounds for good measure.
OLIVI- AIR ✈️
📺@SECNetwork
📲 https://t.co/53LhlpQXj9 pic.twitter.com/U9r9ayT3W3— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) November 14, 2021
See also: Nkamhoua Gives Vols Exactly What They Need Against ETSU
By the end of the game, 16 Tennessee players saw action on the court, with nine players in total scoring points.
Besides the players already mentioned, Vescovi had seven points, Josiah-Jordan James had nine points, and Victor Bailey Jr also had nine by the end of the game. Additionally, both Uros Plavsic and Zakai Zeigler had four points, Brandon-Huntley-Hatfield had three points to go with his six rebounds, and Brock Jancek had two points, as well.
Tennessee’s full statistical breakdown against ETSU can be found here.
