5 Takeaways: No. 1 Tennessee 93, Texas A&M 76

Photo by Tennessee Athletics

The Vols traveled to College Station and battled the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday night. It was Tennessee’s fourth game as the No. 1 team in the land, and they took care of business in a 93-76 victory. Tennessee throttled the Aggies out of the gate. After only 8 minutes of action, the Vols had made 12-14 shot attempts and held a hefty, 28-9 lead.

This may have been the best start to a game of any team in the nation this season, but the Aggies weren’t willing to give up that quickly. Texas A&M used a 20-6 run to narrow their deficit to just 5 points with under 7 minutes remaining in the first half. The Vols led 46-39 at the half.

After the Aggies made their comeback in the first half, they continued to hang around in the second, trailing by 6 points with under 8:30 remaining. Tennessee was able to use a 17-7 run over the game’s final 8 minutes to claim a convincing, 93-76 victory.

Grant Williams led all scorers with 22 points on 9-12 shooting, adding 10 rebounds. Lamonté Turner scored 19 points on 3-6 shooting from 3-point range, along with 7 assists. Jordan Bowden scored 16 points, while Admiral Schofield finished with 14 points and 3 rebounds.

Here are 5 Takeaways from Tennessee’s win over the Aggies on Saturday night.

Fast Start

Tennessee began the game with an incredible 28-9 run. Then, like in the Vanderbilt game, the Vols allowed Texas A&M to make a comeback. This made for some nervous moments for Vol fans, especially after seeing how close Tennessee was to losing to the Commodores. Still, Tennessee pulled away for a dominating, double-digit win. Tennessee showed, once again, that they can be one of the most dynamic offenses in the nation.

Defense Could Improve

Sometimes, as Coach Barnes has alluded to, it seems as if Tennessee may not be giving maximum effort on the defensive end because they understand that they have one of the best, if not the best offense in all of college basketball. While this may be the case, Tennessee allowed the Aggies to record 13 offensive rebounds and shoot 44% from beyond the arc. The Vols are able to get away with lackluster defense against teams like Texas A&M, but they will need to step up the intensity when elite teams come to town.

Offense was on Fire

Tennessee made 40-62 shots on the night, nailing 9-20 3’s. They scored 93 points while attempting just 4 free throws. It marks the twelfth time that the Vols have scored 86+ points in a game this season. The ball movement was great as well, as Tennessee assisted on 28 of their 40 made baskets. It was a remarkable performance by Tennessee’s offense and a wonderful sight to behold. Tennessee now holds the longest active win streak in the nation and has set a new school record of 16 consecutive wins.

Jordan Bone Making His Case for Best PG in the Nation

It’s no question that Bone is an underrated player and deserves much more credit than he receives, but Saturday was unbelievable to watch. He made all 7 of his field goal attempts, including a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc. He recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, turning the ball over just 2 times. This has been stated several times, but it is still remarkable to see how quick and decisive Bone is on the court. It doesn’t seem to matter whether his defenders have an angle on him or not. He will get by them and he will get to the rim.

Another Dominating Finish

Tennessee closed out Saturday’s game in dominating fashion, just as they did in their previous game at South Carolina. In fact, in the final 11 minutes of the South Carolina and Texas A&M games, the Vols have outscored their opponents 57-24. This is a remarkable achievement, and although the Vols allowed the Aggies to gain some momentum and make the game close for a while, their strong finish was encouraging. The Vols know how good they can be. When they bring full effort, they are nearly unstoppable.

Player of the Game: Grant Williams