COLUMBIA, S.C. – Heading into Tuesday’s matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes dubbed them as one of the hardest working teams in the country.
In front of a capacity crowd at Colonial Life Arena, it would take more than afternoon showers to keep the home team down.
Despite that, Admiral Schofield scored 24 points and Grant Williams logged 23 points and nine rebounds as top-ranked Tennessee bludgeoned the Gamecocks, 92-70.
It wasn’t the combination known as “peanut butter and jelly” that proved to be the driving force, however. That credit goes to point guard Jordan Bone, whose 19 point, nine assist effort connected all the dots.
“He’s getting more consistent as time goes,” Barnes said. “I think he’s really getting a feel for his teammates, he was terrific in transition and made some nice reads for us.”
Without junior guard Jordan Bowden for the first time this season, the Vols would find themselves relying on their starters on offense.
Luckily for Barnes, they continued to produce.
Overcoming an early onslaught from reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Chris Silva, Tennessee found itself in the midst of a passing clinic courtesy of Bone. One of the most effective playmakers in the country, the junior guard was in his bag of tricks during the opening half, notching six assists.
He’d be doing it without the assistance of his starting center for much of the night, too.
Picking up two fouls just minutes into the game, Kyle Alexander would find himself with a front-row seat as the Nashville native went to work.
It was mental preparation that served Bone best as he continued to pace Tennessee’s offense.
“My mental approach before the game was to be as aggressive as possible,” Bone said. “My teammates were making shots and I was finding them.”
With Bowden unable to assume point guard responsibilities, it would prove difficult for the Vols to produce points outside of Schofield, Williams, Bone and Lamonte Turner.
For many teams, the pressure of playing on the road without a key piece to the puzzle can prove to be too much to overcome. In some cases, that reality can be brutal.
That didn’t prove to be the case in Columbia.
Not only did Tennessee beat their conference foe, it handled them without the services of one of its key pieces.
That can all be attributed to the play of no. 0.
“That’s who he is, he’s very good at running and orchestrating the offense,” Schofield said. “He was really getting guys in their spots and you can’t ask for nothing more.”
South Carolina would open up the second half by making six of their first seven shots. In what seemed like a flash, the Gamecocks had cut the deficit to just two. No matter the defender thrown his way, Bone continued to thread the needle effectively, spurring Tennessee’s offense when it appeared to be reeling.
Having been atop the rankings for nearly two weeks, the Vols now find themselves heading into the dog days of SEC play with their most difficult challenge behind them.
“I think we got through the toughest part of being the no. 1 team in terms of the attention around it,” Barnes said. “The key is can we stay focused on being the best team we can be?”
