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They wouldn’t lead again for the next 30+ minutes.
Tennessee kicked into high gear with a 9-0 run to make it 26-17, and never looked back. Texas wouldn’t get it closer than seven for the rest of the half as Tennessee’s physicality manifested itself on the rebounds, where they dominated Texas in the first half, 21-13. The explosion by the Volunteers brought them to a 12-point halftime lead, a place the Longhorns have been this year.
Unfortunately, this Tennessee team is the best they’ve seen this year, so a second-half comeback was not in the works in Knoxville.
Though Texas technically outplayed Tennessee in the second half, outscoring them 43-42, it was a case of too little, too late. The Volunteers won comfortably, 82-71, in front of a raucous home crowd.
Nkamhoua isn’t even particularly tall at 6’9 relatively speaking, but he has 30+ pounds on Dillon Mitchell at the same height, and has two inches of height against Christian Bishop. He’s also a bit bigger than Dylan Disu, but Disu did not play good down-low defense today in general; Nkamhoua was pushing the bigs around pretty easily. Disu looked slow trying to guard Nkamhoua, and the Longhorns’ inability to rebound kept opportunities fresh not just for him, but for the rest of the Tennessee team.
Not only did the Vols out-rebound Texas 38-23, they also scored 12 more points than the Longhorns did in the paint, and nearly doubled them up on second-chance points, 15-8. Every possible indication of tough, relentless play manifested for Tennessee in this game; they have the highest-rated KenPom defense of all time for a reason.
The defense for Tennessee is every bit as good as advertised. They have the most active hands as a team I can ever recall seeing (2021 Baylor maybe?), making every entrance lob a total nightmare and even the most simple of passes extremely difficult. They swarm the ball, switch ball screens, and absolutely hound the ball handler. They play so frenetically on the defensive end; the energy is palpable, as they clearly get most of their overall team confidence from this side of the floor. As good as the Texas offense has been at times this year, they were not ready for this wood chipper of a defense.
Tennessee is the best one.
Having watched three games of theirs this season, today wasn’t my first look at the machine that Rick Barnes has built in Knoxville, with this season’s iteration looking like its best yet. They are so athletic and explosive while still maintaining excellent discipline and focus.
They’re hands-down the best defense in the country in pretty much any way you want to seriously look at it, and despite this, still score in the mid-70s every game with an average margin of victory of 19 points. They play in the second-best conference in college basketball and sport an 18-3 record.
The Vols are as legitimate of a national title contender as any other team you could put up there. Texas just went on the road to play this team and lost by 11 points.
This game could have been a thirty-point drubbing that set Texas back significantly and affected their attitude or effort going forward, or invited doubt instead of confidence. But when they got down 22 and the result was essentially already decided, this team didn’t give up.
They kept diving for loose balls, contesting shots, boxing out, and doing the small things that help a team win. They knew that victory at a certain point wasn’t attainable, but this team absolutely has pride in its work.
They refused to be embarrassed, and that’s part of the makeup of a great team. It was a tough loss to take, but Texas has nothing to be ashamed of losing in the fashion that they did.
Texas has no rest after this one, as top -20 Baylor, led by Keyonte George, comes to the Moody Center on Monday night.
-KW
First Half.
The first ten minutes, Texas came out in rhythm, playing solid defense, and weathering the Volunteer storm to the tune of a 17-17 tie at the 10:44 mark. Morris and Rice came out looking solid and led the team in scoring through this period of the game.They wouldn’t lead again for the next 30+ minutes.
Tennessee kicked into high gear with a 9-0 run to make it 26-17, and never looked back. Texas wouldn’t get it closer than seven for the rest of the half as Tennessee’s physicality manifested itself on the rebounds, where they dominated Texas in the first half, 21-13. The explosion by the Volunteers brought them to a 12-point halftime lead, a place the Longhorns have been this year.
Unfortunately, this Tennessee team is the best they’ve seen this year, so a second-half comeback was not in the works in Knoxville.
Second Half.
Most of the second half was a game of keep-away between Texas and a manageable deficit. They hit some tough shots against a great defense, including some threes against the best team in the nation at defending beyond the arc, but nearly every time they did, the Vols answered. Forward Olivier Nkamhoua dropped 27 points on 12/15 from the field and added eight boards and two assists. As dominant as he was, Nkamhoua wasn’t even the only 20-point scorer for Tennessee, as guard Zakai Zeigler had 22 himself, also efficiently: 7/10, 3/6 beyond the arc.Though Texas technically outplayed Tennessee in the second half, outscoring them 43-42, it was a case of too little, too late. The Volunteers won comfortably, 82-71, in front of a raucous home crowd.
Highlight of the Game.
Naturally, the highlight from a loss is probably not going to be your team. Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler hits a deep three here, part of his 22-point outing where he shot 50% from three. The first-half basket helped give Tennessee a 12-point lead at the half over Texas, 40-28.Player of the Game (Texas).
Sir’Jabari Rice carried the Texas offense today by scoring 21 points on 50% from the field, including a trio of triples against the country’s best three-point shooting defense. Even when things were dire, Rice continued to hustle and make things happen when he easily could have thrown in the proverbial towel, though he was far from the only one to keep fighting throughout.Player of the Game (Tennessee).
Discussed earlier, Olivier Nkamhoua had a monster outing with 27 points on 80% from the field, plus three assists and five boards to round out the day for the skilled big man. This happened despite his not being their typical scoring leader, averaging about 10 per game. Rick Barnes and the Vols exposed a hole in Texas’ game today, one that’s been whispered about amongst fans all year: they don’t have an elite post defender who can body bigger forwards and centers.Nkamhoua isn’t even particularly tall at 6’9 relatively speaking, but he has 30+ pounds on Dillon Mitchell at the same height, and has two inches of height against Christian Bishop. He’s also a bit bigger than Dylan Disu, but Disu did not play good down-low defense today in general; Nkamhoua was pushing the bigs around pretty easily. Disu looked slow trying to guard Nkamhoua, and the Longhorns’ inability to rebound kept opportunities fresh not just for him, but for the rest of the Tennessee team.
Physicality, Rebounding, and Defense.
The biggest difference between these two teams today was rebounding, and by extension, physicality in general. Tennessee put bodies on the Texas players the entire night, which frustrated and exhausted the Longhorn front line.Not only did the Vols out-rebound Texas 38-23, they also scored 12 more points than the Longhorns did in the paint, and nearly doubled them up on second-chance points, 15-8. Every possible indication of tough, relentless play manifested for Tennessee in this game; they have the highest-rated KenPom defense of all time for a reason.
The defense for Tennessee is every bit as good as advertised. They have the most active hands as a team I can ever recall seeing (2021 Baylor maybe?), making every entrance lob a total nightmare and even the most simple of passes extremely difficult. They swarm the ball, switch ball screens, and absolutely hound the ball handler. They play so frenetically on the defensive end; the energy is palpable, as they clearly get most of their overall team confidence from this side of the floor. As good as the Texas offense has been at times this year, they were not ready for this wood chipper of a defense.
Talking you off the ledge.
I’ve watched a LOT of college basketball this year, lots of top-five and top-10 teams, rivalries, different conferences. I’ve seen a lot of really good teams that can cut down the nets at the end of the tourney.Tennessee is the best one.
Having watched three games of theirs this season, today wasn’t my first look at the machine that Rick Barnes has built in Knoxville, with this season’s iteration looking like its best yet. They are so athletic and explosive while still maintaining excellent discipline and focus.
They’re hands-down the best defense in the country in pretty much any way you want to seriously look at it, and despite this, still score in the mid-70s every game with an average margin of victory of 19 points. They play in the second-best conference in college basketball and sport an 18-3 record.
The Vols are as legitimate of a national title contender as any other team you could put up there. Texas just went on the road to play this team and lost by 11 points.
This game could have been a thirty-point drubbing that set Texas back significantly and affected their attitude or effort going forward, or invited doubt instead of confidence. But when they got down 22 and the result was essentially already decided, this team didn’t give up.
They kept diving for loose balls, contesting shots, boxing out, and doing the small things that help a team win. They knew that victory at a certain point wasn’t attainable, but this team absolutely has pride in its work.
They refused to be embarrassed, and that’s part of the makeup of a great team. It was a tough loss to take, but Texas has nothing to be ashamed of losing in the fashion that they did.
Texas has no rest after this one, as top -20 Baylor, led by Keyonte George, comes to the Moody Center on Monday night.
-KW
