After its worst week of the season with two losses on buzzer-beaters to unranked teams, No. 10 Tennessee found the plot again and defeated No. 1 Alabama 68-59.
The Vols returned to their usual outstanding defensive selves and also got some important offensive production.
“Just really proud of the effort,” head coach Rick Barnes said. “And I can tell you, and you guys might think I’m crazy, after those tough losses, these guys stayed with it. They didn’t splinter”
Here are three takeaways from Tennessee’s win.
Jahmai Mashack was scoreless, but huge for Vols
Jahmai Mashack didn’t score a point for Tennessee on Wednesday, but he had a team-high +9 +/- and was crucial in defending Alabama star freshman Brandon Miller.
Miller, who averages 18 points per game, had just four points when Mashack was on the floor. With usual-starters Josiah-Jordan James and Julian Phillips out, Mashack was one of the main defenders guarding Miller.
“He took on the challenge to guard their best player,” guard Santiago Vescovi said. “He did a great job all around. We couldn’t ask for a guy to play with more heart than he does.”
Mashack didn’t have a performance that jumps out on the stat sheet, but he did things that don’t go unnoticed among teammates and coaches. If Phillips and James are out again on Saturday, the Vols can have confidence in Mashack.
“We keep telling our guys that they have to find a way to impact the game without scoring a point because everybody wants to score, they do,” Barnes said. “The more he is out there, the more he’s going to figure that side of it out.”
Jonas Aidoo plays clean up man
Jonas Aidoo seemed to be in the right place at the right time all night on Wednesday.
In his second-consecutive start, Aidoo had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Four of those rebounds were on the offensive glass and he capitalized them, getting several points off rebounds.
“There is so much talent there that if we can get him to keep getting better like he is right now, there’s a lot of things he can do,” Barnes said.
On the defensive side, Aidoo played a huge role for the Vols. He blocked three shots and got a steal, often bailing the Vols out after the perimeter defense faltered.
“I was proud of his defense because he normally takes more of a drop-catch,” Barnes said. “But again, I just think his future is so bright because I’m around him, we’re around him and we just know he’s got a lot in there and we just have to keep getting him to let it go.”
Tennessee didn’t ‘splinter’ after two losses in a row
One of the biggest questions heading into the game was how Tennessee would respond after losing two disheartening games.
The Vols could fold to the No. 1 team in the country, or they could have a bounce back game. They chose the latter.
“We were in a bad streak,” Vescovi said. “What happened tonight kind of turned over the page. It was a good feeling for me and the whole team I think. We’re good. We’re not worrying about it.”
In a way, the Vols were playing to their opponents in their recent stretch. On Wednesday, they played to the No. 1 team in the country. Now, it is a matter of if they can continue to play how they did against Alabama.
“We always have to be the hardest playing team, whether that’s on offense, on defense,” Zakai Zeigler said.
Tennessee looked like the same team it was a few weeks ago, and now it will look to carry that momentum into a game that is always competitive – Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Saturday.
“We feel like we can beat anyone in the country on any given day,” Zeigler said.
