5 Takeaways From No. 5 Tennessee's 87-81 Loss to No. 2 Kansas

Photo by Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee's first loss of the season came against Kansas on Friday, with the Jayhawks winning 87-81 in overtime. Not to say that the Vols were overmatched, but it was encouraging to see them stay within a few points of the Jayhawks in the first half. Tennessee used a 14-6 run to take their first lead of the game. During this run, Lamonte Turner was terrific. He assisted Kyle Alexander for a dunk and then made a 3-pointer to tie the game at 21. A few minutes later, his made 3-point shot gave Tennessee the lead and his jumper on the next possession forced a Kansas timeout. Jordan Bone made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Tennessee a 33-31 halftime lead.

Alexander opened the second half with an emphatic dunk on a great pass from Grant Williams. He got fouled on that dunk and made the free throw. Tennessee's offense found their rhythm early in the second half. Bone nailed a 3-point attempt, Admiral made a pair of lay-ups and Yves Pons did what he does best, throwing down a dunk to give Tennessee a 47-38 lead with just under 15:00 remaining in regulation. The Vols did not trail in the second half, until there were less than 7 minutes to go. Tennessee trailed by 5 after a 10-0 run by Kansas. Then, Grant scored 10 consecutive points and the Vols held a 2-point lead with 2:00 left in regulation. The Jawhawks hit a pair of free throws with 1:24 remaining, sending the game to overtime. Although Kansas' Udoka Azubuike fouled out in regulation, Grant did as well.

Admiral had a poor shooting night, but stepped up in place of Grant in the overtime period. Schofield scored 9 of the Vols' 12 points in overtime, but it was not enough. The offense struggled without Grant and Kansas took advantage.

Grant recorded 18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block in the loss. Jordan Bone scored 16 points, to go along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Kyle Alexander had 10 points and 7 rebounds, while Lamonté Turner posted 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Tennessee shot 41.3% from the floor, 25.9% from 3-point range and 70.6% from the free throw line.

Here are 5 Takeaways from the Vols' first loss.

Tennessee Solidified Themselves as a Top-5 Team

Despite the loss, the Vols clearly proved that they belong in the top-5, or at least top-10. They didn't just keep up with Kansas, they took a significant lead in the second half. The Vols put themselves in position to win and if Grant had played in the overtime period, I believe they would have won. This is a good learning experience for Tennessee. The Vols have great depth and will need to learn how to finish out a game if their best player happens to foul out. Overall, I am proud of the team's effort and I'm not discouraged at all. Sure, I wanted the Vols to win, but I am confident that they can beat any team in the country, when at their best.

Vols Struggled When Grant Fouled Out

Tennessee was outscored 18-12 in overtime. Scoring 12 points is not terrible for a 5-minute period, but the Vols' offense was clearly different without Grant. Admiral scored 9 points, but there was little production elsewhere. The defense was affected as well. Grant is a solid post defender and the lack of his presence allowed Kansas to go on a run and build momentum, eventually winning the game.

Admiral Had a Poor Shooting Night

Schofield carried the Vols in overtime, as previously stated, but his overall performance was uncharacteristic. He shot 9-22 from the field and scored 21 points. This is one of the few times I can remember of an elite player shooting so many times, but totaling less points than shots attempted. It was disappointing that this rough night came in such a big game, especially since many of his 3-point attempts were shots that he typically makes with ease. He made just 2-8 shots from 3-point range and grabbed 6 rebounds. Admiral will definitely remember this game and learn from it.

Tennessee Played Aggressively

Rick Barnes said that Tennessee needs to stop playing off of emotion and simply play their game. This is true for several players in particular, but I was still proud of the aggressiveness shown by the Vols. When Kansas big man, Udoka Azubuike got into foul trouble, Tennessee didn't just wait for him to pick up another foul, they forced it upon him. They drove the ball on him and forced him to commit costly fouls. He fouled out with 4:26 remaining in regulation and was limited to just 17 minutes of action on the night. Some would say that Tennessee caught a break with him on the bench for so long, but they deserve credit for getting him into foul trouble to begin with.

Learning Lessons for Tennessee

The Vols learned that they can beat the nation's top teams, even without playing their best game. I mentioned earlier that I think the Vols can beat anyone when at their best, but they can clearly beat elite competition even in a subpar performance. Kansas was the preseason No. 1 team in the country and Tennessee took them to overtime in a game in which Schofield scored 21 points on 22 shot attempts and the team went 7-27 on 3-pointers. The Vols are a very good 3-point shooting team. Just think, they shot 25.9% from beyond the arc and went to overtime with the No. 2 team in the nation. Imagine what they can do this season if they knock down a couple more of those shots. This game provided many learning lessons and Tennessee should improve tremendously from this experience.

Player of the Game: Admiral Schofield