‘He’s our anchor’: Bishop Boswell showcases diversity in Tennessee basketball’s 2nd NCAA Tournament victory
PHILADELPHIA — Bishop Boswell gets upset when people view him exclusively through a defensive lens.
The sophomore takes pride in his persistence against each opponent’s most talented guy, but he likes to visualize himself outside of any one stereotype.
“At the end of the day, I’m a basketball player,” Boswell said. “I’ve been playing basketball my whole life, offense and defense. I know what I’m capable of, and I just like being confident in myself.”
It only took six seconds for Boswell to start flipping his outside narrative in Tennessee basketball’s NCAA Tournament matchup with Virginia, doing so by draining a 24-foot triple to set the tone. In this second-round battle with the Cavaliers, the darts kept on coming. Boswell became an all-around weapon.
“It means everything,” Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “If he’s playing like that, that makes us a whole ‘nother team. I think we’re going to be really hard to beat with him doing that. I feel like he had a great game today.”
Boswell would attest. The Charlotte, North Carolina, product contributed 13 points, all but one of them coming from long range. His four 3-point makes marked a new career high, but the utility man takes more pride in another column on his stat sheet.
Even though he didn’t realize in the moment how many he had during the 79-72 win, Boswell’s nine assists shone bright in aiding the Vols to their fourth consecutive Sweet 16.
“You don’t get an assist unless your teammate makes a shot,” Boswell said. “I can’t take too much credit. I was able to get guys in positions, and they were able to knock it down. It goes both ways.”
Sunday evening’s proceedings saw five Tennessee players score in the double digits, an element of the Vols’ offense that provides a sizable boost. When Boswell can help remove some of the weight off the shoulders of leading scorers like Gillespie or Nate Ament, his teammates see their group climb closer to its full potential.
It’s all about creating a different look.
“When we have all of our pieces going, it’s kind of unguardable,” J.P. Estrella said. “We’ve got so many different varieties and ways to score.”
Boswell’s prowess on the defensive end didn’t take a backseat to his strong offensive night. He drew the assignment of holding Virginia guards Jacari White and Malik Thomas under wraps. White led the charge for the Cavaliers in their opening round game against Wright State, notching 26 points off the bench. Thomas entered the action as Virginia’s second-highest scorer, averaging 12.4 points per game. Tennessee held both men to 22 points combined.
Even if it means a decrease in playing time for some of the Vols’ reserves, they’ll take watching Boswell’s performance from the bench if it means the best for the contingent as a whole.
“He did it all,” Ethan Burg said. “And it was maybe the reason I feel like I played seven minutes, but I’m happy for Bishop. When he goes out there, he’s going to have the toughest matchup every night. He’s our anchor.”
As Tennessee packs its bags for a date with two-seed Iowa State in Chicago, Boswell isn’t worried about loading up on any extra defensive luggage. He’ll pack as any other basketball player would.
“It’s crazy just actually being here,” Boswell said. “Doesn’t even feel real. Sometimes I kind of have to step back and just really understand where I am. I’m just so blessed to be in this position.”
