5 Takeaways From No. 6 Tennessee's 86-41 Win Over Lenoir Rhyne

Photo by Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee opened the 2018-19 season with a dominant 86-41 win over Lenoir Rhyne on Tuesday. Yves Pons broke onto the scene in the win, recording his first dunk less than 6 minutes into the season. He threw down another dunk soon after that. Jordan Bowden missed a 3-pointer and Pons came flying in for a 2-handed slam, bringing the fans to their feet. Lenoir Rhyne was on fire from 3-point territory to begin the game and trailed 20-18 with 11:15 remaining in the first half, after beginning the game 6-10 from downtown. The Vols used a 26-8 run to pull away from the Bears and lead 50-30 at halftime.

It wasn't clear whether Lenoir Rhyne was going to score at all in the second half or not, because with 11:30 remaining in the contest, they still had their halftime total of 30 points. In that span, the Vols had reeled off 19 points and had taken a 69-30 lead. A jumper from Admiral Schofield gave Tennessee an 80-34 lead with 7:32 left in the game. The Vols surrendered just 11 points in the second half, taking a 45-point victory to move to 1-0 on the season.

These are 5 of the biggest takeaways from Tennessee's season-opening win.

Yves Pons is a Beast

Yves Pons. Vols fans are going to hear that name often this year. At 6' 6", 209 pounds, the sophomore is very athletic. He has the speed of a guard and the rim protection of a 7-footer. On Tuesday, he logged 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, a steal and 3 blocks. He is going to make a name for himself in the SEC this season and I am very excited about it. His ability to move around and make backdoor cuts on the offensive end and then sprint down the court for a chase down block is incredible. Yves was the first man off the bench in the season-opener. When healthy again, Lamonté Turner may reclaim his sixth man role, but either way, Pons is going to be used much more than he was last season.

Jordan Bone is Much Improved

Several players showed that they had improved during the offseason, but it was most evident in Bone. His team-high 18 points on 8-12 shooting, along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals got fans excited. He is a very quick guard and his court vision allows him to find guys like Kyle and Grant down low. There is a reason Bone has been spoken of as one of the top guards in the county and this year should be his best season yet.

Tennessee is Electric

Tennessee shot 56.7% from the field, assisting on 23 of their 34 made baskets, stole the ball 9 times and blocked 10 shots. The Vols gave the 16,156 fans inside of Thompson-Boling Arena much to cheer about in the season's first game. A big part of that was the defensive effort. They held the Bears to 20.9% shooting (14-67), including 7-35 from 3-point range. Lenoir Rhyne started 6-10 on 3-point attempts, but went 1-25 for the remainder of the game. Deflections on defense are a big focus for Coach Barnes and fans are bought in to his philosophy.

Vols Have Tremendous Depth

Tennessee has an great 10-man rotation. Each of these players are talented and can make an impact when they play. I am always amazed at how well Coach Barnes keeps his guys fresh. When a substitution is made, there is little to no drop off in production. In addition to the amazing guard play of Bone, Bowden, and Lamonté, Grant and Admiral, the PB&J combo, showed off their midrange game on Tuesday. Grant made a 3-point shot less than 3 minutes into the season. If the SEC Player of the Year, known for his post presence, starts to knock down shots from the perimeter, this team will become even more unstoppable. Grant finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Winning is Fun

Tennessee is ranked No. 6 in the nation, so winning is going to become a common theme this season. The atmosphere inside of TBA was energizing. Imagine what it will be like for an SEC game! This team is absolutely loaded. Kyle Alexander is another player who has improved over the offseason. He recorded a career-high 16 points on 5-8 shooting, to go with 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Each of the Vols' starters scored in double figures and outscored Lenoir Rhyne's entire team by 28 points. This is going to be a very fun season.

Player of the Game: Jordan Bone