Troy Henderson drilled a 3-point shot and celebrated it his entire way down the opposite end of the court.
He’s a true freshman who has mangled no more than 18 minutes in a contest this season, and has seen double-digit minutes in just one of Tennessee basketball’s last 11 games. That includes two coaches’ decisions to withhold him from action.
But his 22 minutes proved crucial. And it was part of an overarching theme in the Vols’ double-overtime win over Texas A&M, 87-82.
They were just finding a way.
“I think we grew up a little bit more tonight,” head coach Rick Barnes said.
Henderson found his way into a closing lineup, hitting three big shots when it mattered most and coming up with steals on back-to-back possessions down the stretch. Ja’Kobi Gillespie (48), Nate Ament (43) and Bishop Boswell (43) all posted 40-plus minutes on the court.
Starter DeWayne Brown II played five minutes, touching the floor just once over the final 40 minutes of the game. Bench options J.P. Estrella, Amari Evans and Amaree Abram carved out minimal, impactless roles.
But Tennessee found a way through the inconsistencies, because that’s part of the challenge that Barnes has stressed for a group that has not displayed consistency.
“I don’t think at any point in time when we started with this group did we ever practice with three freshmen,” Barnes said. “Thinking we’re going to be in the minutes that they’re in, but they’ve earned it. And we’re still going to need all those guys on our team.”
It mattered most how Tennessee stepped up. On paper, it was ugly. Shooting 36% from the floor and making a measly six shots from deep is chalked up as a loss most places. But the defensive identity shone.
When Texas A&M jumped out to an 11-0 run late in the first half, Barnes’ squad responded with a 15-5 run of its own. When the Aggies battled to a 7-0 run without the ball leaving their half of the court, Tennessee pushed with a 9-0 response itself.
As overtime called, the calling card came to light: defense. Tennessee opened the first offensive period without allowing points for the first 3:15, and did not allow a basket until 1:10 remained.
Though the offense did not click, the defense didn’t waver. In a second overtime period, the Vols kept the Aggies to a single made shot — coming with 3:58 left. Tennessee prevented a made basket over the remaining time and allowed just two total makes across 14 shots in the 10 minutes of added play.
“We’ve got to decide who we’re going to be and how we’re going to do it,” Barnes said. “And again, I thought our defensive focus, when it needed to be, was pretty good.”
It’s a case far different from the one displayed Saturday, which saw a 22-4 Florida run steal any hope from the visiting Vols. A win such as what Tennessee gave on Tuesday is a better display of what play can look like.
“I think it’s huge,” Boswell said. “We have a lot of new guys, a lot of young guys. So, just seeing the plays you have to make and how hard it is to win an SEC game, whether it’s on the road or at home.
“We’ve had a couple games where we were in it, then we got down, and we weren’t able to bounce back,” Boswell said. “And I think we did a good job of that tonight. I don’t know, we got down 11 or something like that. And I thought we showed a lot of adversity coming back from that.”
Ament response provided the largest statistical impact. He scored 10 of his 23 points in the additional periods and provided over half of the production on the offensive end.
After being held to four points in the first half, he erased what was already in the past and got to the game he knew best.
If you’re focused on what’s behind you, you’re not going to be able to play your game and be able to focus on what’s in front of you,” Ament said. “I was just telling myself throughout the game, this possession is the most important possession. All the possessions that happened before are done with, and all we can do now is just win the game.”
But the largest response to Barnes’ adversity came via leaders Boswell and Felix Okpara. Boswell’s lackluster performance against Florida came with a stern practice on Monday. Okpara’s one-rebound effort against the Gators added discourse from the seasoned head coach.
The pairing each gave double-double outings, while serving as instrumental pieces to Tennessee’s 60-35 domination on the glass.
“Proud of their focus, doing exactly what we needed them to do,” Barnes said.
A giant leap is uncharacteristic in conference play. But one small step in the right direction can put a fierce giant back on track. And getting the job done in the fashion Tennessee did on Tuesday is one not to take for granted.
“I do think that we took a step tonight in terms of some maturity and showed some fight,” Barnes said. “… Guys found a way to get it done.”
