Alabama Basketball Routs Ole Miss on the Road, 97-83
Tennessee’s basketball is on a six-game SEC winning streak and is playing its best ball of the season as February rolls on.
The Vols’ winning began just over three weeks ago at Vanderbilt. After suffering a humiliating loss at Kentucky, Tennessee earned a gritty road win in Nashville that flipped the fortune of its season.
“This time of the year—I think any coach would tell you—this the time of year if there is not a turning point, things normally don’t end up well for you,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said Friday. We have a chance to continue to get better and we have to do that. For certain players I think individually—like Josiah James the last four games, he has been a different player. He is scoring at all different levels as opposed to stand behind the arc for the majority of his shots.”
James growth has been a game changed for Tennessee. After shooting 22% from three-point range the first 11 games of the season, James is shooting 42% in the last nine games. The junior’s scoring has developed in the last three games, averaging 17.3 points in the stretch.
Tennessee is looking to keep its winning streak going into Tuesday night’s primetime rematch with Kentucky, but first the Vols have to beat an improving Vanderbilt team who is having its best season in five years.
“We know that they can really get going from behind the arch,” Barnes said. “They did that to us; they’ve done it is seems like every game that they can go there. They have size where they’ve got more of a balanced team I think where they really can go inside and score. I think he (Jerry Stackhouse) has done a terrific job; I really do. I look at how his teams play and how they compete again it’s a real credit to he and his staff.”
The Vanderbilt matchup will be Tennessee’s second without starting forward Olivier Nkamhoua. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield earned the start in his place, scoring four points in 15 minutes at Mississippi State.
Jonas Aidoo — who had played just 15 minutes all season — provided Tennessee strong defense and rebounding in 12 minutes against the Bulldogs.
“Watching him on tape, offensively what he did, the way he spaced the floor,” Barnes said. “He worked behind the rim and the basket. He worked the baseline area that we call it the porch. The way he stayed active back there. He stepped out and set some nice hammer screens on the back side. He did. I think the first shot they shot (with Aidoo in), I think we all were surprised that he didn’t get it because he was there. He did affect a couple things.”
Tennesse and Vanderbilt tip-off from Thompson-Boling Arena at 6 p.m. ET. Kevin Fitzgerald and Dane Bradshaw are slated to be on the call for the SEC Network.
