5 Takeaways: No. 5 Tennessee 66, Georgia Tech 53

Photo by Maury Neipris/Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee emerged with a 66-53 victory over Georgia Tech on Tuesday night, moving to 3-0 on the season. The game ended around 11:30, after 49 fouls were called. The Vols got to experience playing their first power-5 opponent of the season and quickly learned that being a top-5 team means that every team will give maximum effort when they play the Vols. While Tennessee's offense got off to a lackluster start, the Yellow Jackets were not doing anything on the offensive end either. It was not until the 8:43 mark of the first half that Georgia Tech reached double digits on the scoreboard. The Vols got out to a small lead and could not really pull away, leading 33-25 at halftime.

The second half was also a battle, not only between the 2 teams, but against the refs as well. There were many poor calls made by the officials and the crowd of 16,219 was getting very aggravated. Still, Tennessee was able to make enough timely shots to win by 13 points.

Here are 5 Takeaways from the win.

It Was an Ugly Win

I hate calling any win ugly, but if there ever was one that deserved to be called that, it would be this one. Neither team could get going offensively. The Vols made 19-48 (39.6%) of their field goal attempts, connecting on 4-12 shots from beyond the arc. Additionally, Tennessee missed 14 free throws, going 24-38 from the charity stripe, while turning the ball over 13 times. Vol fans were very frustrated throughout the game. It never felt as if Tennessee was in danger of losing the game, but they could not get any shots to fall all night.

Grant Can Always Be Relied On

Although there were not many bright spots for the Vols on Tuesday, Grant still put up 22 points on 6-10 shooting. He collected 8 rebounds and dished out 3 assists, but did turn the ball over 4 times and went 10-16 from the free throw line. The free throw struggles were most likely just an off night for the team as a whole, so that is not a major concern. Still, avoiding turnovers will be key for him this season. Overall, Grant carried the Vols to a win on Tuesday.

Defense Overcame Offensive Struggles

Tennessee's defensive effort was up to par on Tuesday. Without it, the Vols may have been upset in the third game of the season. Georgia Tech shot 27.6% from the floor (16-58), including 3-19 (15.8%) from 3-point range. Their only positive note on offense was that they went 18-21 from the free throw line. It was not necessarily 'just a bad shooting night' for the Yellow Jackets. Tennessee's defense forced them into many poor shot attempts. Georgia Tech recorded just 5 assists and turned the ball over 14 times, along with committing 30 fouls on the night. The Vols had 4 blocks and when the Yellow Jackets were able to get decent shot attempts off, they often came late in the shot clock.

Tennessee Clearly Misses Lamonté Turner

The reigning SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Year has yet to play for the Vols this season. A shoulder injury had kept him out of the season's first 3 games. On Tuesday, it was obvious that the team missed his bench production, as only 4 points were scored from Tennessee's bench. In fact, Georgia Tech caused the Vols to get out of they flow and Derrick Walker did not see any action. Lamonté provides the spark needed in times of adversity. When Lamonté plays, he might as well be a starter. Fortunately, Rick Barnes hinted after the game that Turner should be good to go when the Vols face Louisville in New York.

Rick Barnes' Milestone

With the victory on Tuesday, Coach Barnes tied John Wooden for the 26th-most wins in college basketball history (Division 1). Additionally, Grant Williams currently sits at 999 career points, while Admiral Schofield is at 996. They will both exceed 1,000 points for their career against Louisville on Wednesday, November 21. This is a very big accomplishment and should not be taken lightly. It is even more impressive for Grant, as he will have done it in the fourth game of his junior year.

Player of the Game: Grant Williams