3 Takeaways: No. 3 Tennessee 83, Samford 70

Photo by Maury Neipris/Tennessee Athletics

After back-to-back intense matchups with Gonzaga and Memphis, Tennessee returned home to beat Samford, 83-70 on Wednesday. With Wake Forest coming to town on Saturday, many considered Samford to be the better of the 2 opponents. Nobody expected them to play this well, though. The final score was much closer than anticipated due to Samford’s toughness.

The crowd got a tad uneasy as Samford jumped out to a 5-0 lead. This is what happens when you’re ranked third in the nation. Tennessee would respond, but could not take the lead until over 6:00 into the game. Then, just as Tennessee began to pull away, Samford went on a 12-0 run to take a 28-21 lead. Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden and Admiral Schofield each contributed to Tennessee making 5 shots from 3-point range on as many possessions. This gave the Vols a 37-28 lead and they held a 41-32 lead at halftime.

Tennessee dominated the second half. As games progress, I typically set a margin of victory that the Vols should aim to reach. I started at 25, but lowered it to 20. Tennessee led by 20 with just under 4:00 to play, but the Bulldogs ended the game on a 12-5 run to lose by just 13 points. Although, it was disappointing to allow Samford to narrow the gap late, they deserve credit for showing grit and battling the nation’s third-ranked team.

Admiral Schofield recorded 18 points on 8-13 shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. Grant Williams logged 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. Kyle Alexander posted 10 points, 5 rebounds and a block, while Yves Pons stuffed the stat sheet with 4 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

As a team, Tennessee shot 58% from the field (33-57) including a 5-14 mark from 3-point range. Samford actually out-rebounded the Vols 39-36, but Tennessee had 22 assists, 7 steals, 4 blocks and just 9 turnovers.

Here are 3 Takeaways from the Vols’ win over Samford that moved them to 9-1 this season.

Jordan Bone Had a Career Night

Bone couldn’t have had a much better game than he did on Wednesday night. He recorded a career-high 24 points on 11-16 shooting and became the first Vol to dish out 11 assists in a game since Trae Golden did it in 2011. This was his first career double-double and it came in a game in which he turned the ball over just 2 times.

Samford made it clear that they were not going to back down from the challenge of playing the No. 3 Vols. In games such as this one, it is important to have a good performance from the team’s main ball handler. In this case, Bone is the player that initiates fast breaks, can drive to the basket and also find his teammates and help get them open shots. It was key that he had a good game, but he made it a career-best night.

Vols Will Be Targeted

Now that Tennessee has risen to No. 3 in the AP poll, it means that they will receive every team’s best shot. Rick Barnes strategically schedules tough opponents. If they are in a power-5 conference, Tennessee will play the best of the best. If they are in a lesser conference, he makes sure to schedule the best of that conference to aid with strength of schedule.

This year, Tennessee will have to be prepared for every game. There are times in previous seasons when they could be lackadaisical and still win against a non-conference foe, or even an SEC opponent for that matter. The Vols are now being regarded as one of the best teams in the country, so they cannot afford off nights. This team has veteran leadership and I expect them to be mentally tough as the schedule heats up.

Tennessee Can Rely On Their Shooting

The Vols trailed 28-21 with just over 6:00 remaining before halftime. They were struggling to get anything going on offense, until they caught fire from 3-point range. They made 5 3-pointers on 5 possessions to recapture the lead. Tennessee follows Rick Barnes desire to play through the post early in the game and use the 3-ball to break the game open.

Nothing was coming easy on the offensive end early on, so they turned to the triple as they faced a 7-point deficit. This worked tremendously and it gave the Vols momentum. They caught fire from beyond the arc and it translated to their defensive effort, as they went nearly 5 minutes without allowing Samford to score. When the offense is stagnant, a hot streak from 3-point range can impact both ends of the floor. Tennessee can use this lesson as the season progresses.

Player of the Game: Jordan Bone