Sizzling Vols glad to unleash defensive wrath on SEC foes
KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee Volunteers shouldn’t be expected to score 90 points in every Southeastern Conference basketball game this winter.
They do, however, plan to be a continuing nuisance defensively.
The No. 5 Vols served notice Saturday — as did Auburn and Kentucky — that they will be factors in this year’s league race by opening conference play with a 90-64 lambasting of No. 22 Ole Miss. The 10-of-18 shooting clip from 3-point range after a 1-of-12 start certainly enabled Tennessee to pull away, but the Vols have grown defensively since the start of the season and punished the Rebels with a 47-24 rebounding advantage.
“I definitely feel like we’re the best defensive team in the country — for sure, and without a doubt,” junior guard Jahmai Mashack said after Tennessee improved to 11-3 overall. “That’s just because I practice against these guys. Think about it. When you have to bring the ball up against Zakai (Zeigler) 94 feet, and you finally get off Zakai and have to meet Jonas (Aidoo) at the rim, it’s tough.
“We have wing defenders who are long and have active hands. They can meet you at the block, and they can meet you at the 3-point line, so it’s ‘good luck’ when you’re playing a defense like that.”
Defense has been a Tennessee trademark under Rick Barnes, with last season’s team finishing first nationally in 3-point-goal defense (26.5%), third in field-goal defense (37.3%) and third in scoring defense (57.9 points per game). This year’s team ranks fifth nationally in field-goal defense (37.6%) but is slightly further behind last year’s success against 3-point attempts (29.4%) and in points allowed (64.3 per game).
“Obviously there are little things here and there that we want to improve on moving forward, and no defense is going to be perfect. Guys are going to hit shots.”
— JAHMAI MASHACK, VOLS JUNIOR GUARD
Some perspective is needed here, however, as this season’s Vols faced four current top-10 teams in nonconference play.
“I think it starts with their coach, and that’s their identity,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. “Coach Barnes has always had teams like that. You’ve got five players who are playing for Tennessee, and nobody takes a play off. There is not a weak link defensively. There might be a guy who may not be as quick or as athletic as the next guy, but their effort is so important. There are five guys playing team basketball.
“They are definitely one of the best defensive teams in college basketball. They get great ball pressure from their guards. They have rim protection with their two bigs, and they have position-less players who can switch a lot of things. I was really impressed.”
Defensive tenacity is preached by Barnes from day one in Knoxville, and that was reflected in the “plus/minus” category in Saturday’s box score. When Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi, the two players who are in their fifth seasons under Barnes, were on the floor, the Vols outscored the Rebels by 28 points.
When first-year transfers Jordan Gainey and Dalton Knecht played, it was a different story. The Vols outscored Ole Miss by four points in Gainey’s 12-plus minutes and by just one point in Knecht’s 19-plus minutes.
“As a coaching staff, we’ve got tremendous confidence in our guys fixing things out there,” Barnes said. “Overall, we know going forward that we want Jordan Gainey to get there, and he’s trying. Is Dalton going to get to where these other guys are in one year? Probably not, but he is working at it trying to get better.”
Next up for Tennessee is a Wednesday night contest (7 Eastern on the SEC Network) at Mississippi State, a team that has averaged just 57.4 points in five consecutive losses to the Vols.
“Obviously there are little things here and there that we want to improve on moving forward, and no defense is going to be perfect,” Mashack said. “Guys are going to hit shots. There are skilled players in this conference, but it’s nice to know that it’s just a headache for guys who want to get in there and create offense for themselves.”
Odds and ends
Barnes now has 790 career victories, which is 11 behind Kentucky’s John Calipari for the most among active Division I men’s basketball coaches. … The Vols have won 11 straight home games against Associated Press Top 25 teams. … James continued his versatile play with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals while not turning the ball over. … Tennessee is 17-2 in its last 19 home games against Ole Miss.
Tight end commits
Tennessee got its fifth football commitment for the 2025 signing class on Sunday, receiving a nonbinding pledge from tight end Jack VanDorselaer out of Southlake Carroll High School near Dallas.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder is a four-star prospect, and he is the nation’s No. 11 tight end and the No. 251 overall recruit in the 247Sports. com composite rankings. VanDorselaer took a September trip to Tennessee, an October trip to Texas and a November trip to Southern California this past season.