3 Takeaways: No. 1 Tennessee 58, Vanderbilt 46

Photo by Tennessee Athletics

It wasn’t pretty, but Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt in a low-scoring affair, 58-46 on Tuesday night. The Commodores got out to an early 13-10 lead and it was clear that Tennessee had not mentally moved on from their loss to Kentucky just 3 days prior. Then, the Vols went on a 15-4 run to take a 25-17 lead. Tennessee held on for a 36-27 lead at halftime.

Tennessee came out flat in the second half, scoring just 4 points in the first 9 minutes of play. Vanderbilt would not go away and the Vols led 42-38 with under 9:00 left. Tennessee fans in Thompson-Boling Arena were restless, to say the least. A quick 9-0 run by Tennessee gave them some breathing room and a 13-point lead. Tennessee would eventually win by 12 points. The Vols’ past 4 wins have each been by 12 points.

Here are 3 Takeaways from Tennessee’s win that moved them to 24-2 (12-1 SEC) on the season.

A Win is a Win

Tennessee looked, well, not great on Tuesday night. Still, it was important to get back in the win column after suffering a tough loss at Kentucky. Vanderbilt is now 9-17 on the year, with a winless mark of 0-13 in conference play.

The Vols shot 41% from the field on the night and scored just 22 points in the second half, but limited the Commodores to 19 second half points. No matter how they got it done, it was very important to win this game. It was key for their mentality as they enter a tough stretch to close the season.

Defensive Battle

While Tennessee struggled on offense, they responded with a strong defensive effort. The Vols held Vanderbilt to 32% shooting from the field and a 7-23 mark from 3-point range. The Commodores recorded 12 turnovers and just 11 assists. Tennessee shot 41% from the field and 29% from beyond the arc, but out-rebounded Vanderbilt 40-33 and posted 6 steals and 4 blocks. It was a really ugly night, but Tennessee’s defense was a bright spot.

Vols Helped Themselves Out

With hardly anything going well for Tennessee, they trusted themselves enough to play to their advantage. That’s Grant Williams. After it became evident that it was going to be a long night, they tried to play through Williams, since that has been a recipe for success for the Vols this season. Williams found success once again on Tuesday.

He finished with 14 points and 11 assists. It’s impressive that he managed a double-double despite a rough night for the team. Admiral Schofield and Lamonté Turner also contributed, each scoring 12 points. Schofield recorded 5 rebounds and 3 steals, while Turner made 3-9 shots from downtown, grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 4 assists.

When in doubt, give the ball to the reigning SEC Player of the Year.

Player of the Game: Grant Williams