Basketball Vols: ‘We want to prove a point’ vs. High Point

KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee men’s basketball team gets a final tune-up tonight before it departs for the Bahamas to be tested against against at least one ranked opponent.

High Point (1-0) of the Big South Conference visits Thompson-Boling Arena for a 7 p.m. game against the Volunteers (1-0), who already have wrecked one Big South foe this year.

Tennessee opened the season with an 88-53 victory over Presbyterian on Friday night. Tonight brings an uptick in competition. High Point finished 15-16 last year and returns four starters, added three transfers and scored 100 points in a season-opening victory over William and Mary.

It will be the Vols’ last game action before they travel to Paradise Island, Bahamas, for the Nov. 22-24 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The field for that event includes No. 3 Arizona, No. 5 Villanova, No. 19 Purdue, Southern Methodist, Western Kentucky, North Carolina State and Northern Iowa. Tennessee plays Purdue in its first game.

Third-year coach Rick Barnes offered approval for his team’s performance in the season opener.

“I just like the mindset, and we’ve got to see if we can come back and do it again Tuesday night,” Barnes said after that game.

Tennessee used a 28-0 run to put the game against Presbyterian out of reach early. A similar defensive performance against High Point could be tricky considering the Panthers’ veteran roster and offensive output in their opener, but the Vols appear motivated in the early season.

“We want to prove a point,” redshirt freshman forward John Fulkerson said. “We are definitely playing hard and playing with a chip on our shoulder. It’s not because of where we were picked, but we want to set a standard.”