AUSTIN, Tex. — Tennessee basketball trailed for most the second half, seemingly unable to get over the hump and take the lead. Then the unlikeliest of heroes emerged for Tennessee and the Vols did just enough to slow down Tre Johnson and earn a 74-70 victory in Austin.
Tennessee and Texas picked up right where they left off last March in Charlotte and once again the Vols found a way to win a low scoring, low possession game.
Here’s three quick takeaways.
Turnovers Costly For Tennessee Offensively
There was a common theme with Tennessee’s offensive struggles against Texas— turnovers. The Vols coughed it up a tremendous 10 times in the first 15 minutes of the game and their offense was predictably terrible, scoring just 19 points in that stretch.
But when Tennessee found a way not to turn the ball over, its offense was effective. They used a 12-7 run in the final five minutes of the first half to take the lead as they didn’t turn the ball over at all.
That stretch represented the game as a hold. When Tennessee took care of the ball they found ways to score, shooting 45% from the field and 43% from three-point range. But Tennessee turned the ball over 15 times and made life difficult on themselves.
There is such a level of familiarity between these two opponents that led to turnovers. With Texas coach Rodney Terry being a former Rick Barnes’ assistant, both teams had similar offensive actions. That meant Tennessee had to force the issue some late in the shot clock that led to turnovers.
But Tennessee also had a number of careless turnovers that proved costly. Zakai Zeigler turned it over four times and Igor Milicic turned it over three times.
Tre Johnson Outplays Chaz Lanier
Entering Saturday, Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier and Texas’ Tre Johnson were two of the SEC’s top three scorers. But Johnson was by far the best player on the court while Lanier struggled.
Tennessee did a fantastic job of defending the Longhorns and making nearly every look difficult. But Tre Johnson lived up to his billing and single handedly carried the Longhorns.
Johnson went for 26 points on an incredibly efficient 11-of-17 shooting. Even when the defense was good, the star freshman found ways to knock down tough shots and keep Texas’ offense afloat.
On the other side, Lanier struggled to get going. He totaled 10 points on three-of-11 shooting from the field. Texas made it very difficult for Lanier to get open looks from the perimeter and the transfer guard struggled to create off the dribble.
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Balanced Scoring Leads Tennessee Past Texas
For much of this season, Tennessee has been incredibly dependent on a couple players, particularly Chaz Lanier, to score the basketball. But as Lanier had a calm night, Tennessee found a way to churn away offensively with balance.
Four players scored in double figures with Zakai Zeigler leading the way with 16 points while no one else scored more and 12 points.
But all eight Tennessee players that played made at least two shots and scored four-plus points. In fact, six of those eight players scored between six and 12 points.
No one was bigger for Tennessee than Darlinstone Dubar. The Hofstra transfer entered the game having not made more than one three-pointer in a game all season. He drilled three against the Longhorns on his way to a crucial 12-point, six-rebound performance.
Center Felix Okpara was also huge, scoring seven points on three-of-five shooting. He also blocked three shots on the other end.
While Tre Johnson shined, Tennessee won the game with offensive balance.
Final Stats
Up Next
Tennessee basketball returns home on Wednesday night when they’ll face Georgia. Tipoff from Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center is at 8 p.m. ET. The SEC Network is broadcasting the game.
