Barnes piles praise on Bowden in UT win vs. Gonzaga
PHOENIX – Admiral Schofield watched the way Jordan Bowden practiced in the days leading up to Tennessee basketball facing No. 1 Gonzaga and felt he was seeing the junior guard being his regular self.
But Friday brought a moment Schofield called disheartening, as Bowden rolled his ankle in a “freaky” manner before Tennessee started its final practice before going to Phoenix.
Bowden spent the following two days receiving treatment in advance of Sunday afternoon’s game. And he felt fine Sunday – before and after the 76-73 win for the No. 7 Vols.
“It felt good to knock some shots down,” Bowden said.
The Knoxville native wasn’t the headliner for Tennessee (7-1) against topranked Gonzaga (9-1). That was Admiral Schofield. But Barnes mentioned Bowden in the same breath for his contributions to Tennessee’s outstanding win against the soon-to-be former top squad. He also praised strength and conditioning coach Garrett Medenwald and trainer Chad Newman for having Bowden ready to play after his rolled ankle.
“I thought his attitude was terrific,” Barnes said. “I thought what he did, I would put toughness beside him.”
Bowden had 11 points, nine of which came in the second half after his first basket gave UT a one-point halftime lead.
He knocked down a 3-pointer to shatter a slow second-half start for UT. Then he made a pair of threes to trim a ninepoint Gonzaga lead to a three-point margin in the final minutes.
“He does it in practice all the time,” said Schofield, who had a career-high 30 points. “Coach has been on him about bringing it out in games. It’s just great to see him out there playing with confidence.”
Bowden admittedly felt his confidence grow as the game wore on. His shot kept falling, as he tied a season-high with three 3-pointers. He kept taking them confidently, which only influenced his play on the defensive end.
“It gives you confidence on both sides of the floor,” Bowden said. “You just want to stop your man and keep doing it. It brings big confidence to me.”
Bowden, who came off the bench for the third straight game, provided key defense for Tennessee down the stretch. He was tasked with clamping down Gonzaga’s big-time shooter Zach Norvell, who was giving the Vols all sorts of problems.
Norvell made a flurry of 3-pointers midway through the second half, almost putting UT away when Barnes pushed Bowden to lock down defensively.
“Down the stretch, the last two or three minutes, he told me to guard him and don’t stay off of him,” Bowden said. “I don’t think he scored on me. Just trying to bring that toughness on defense.”
Bowden started the first five games of the season for the Vols – the norm for the rangy guard. He was in the starting lineup for 63 of 65 games in his first two seasons at UT.
But Barnes wants more from Bowden and thought a move to the bench could be the answer. So far, so good. Bowden scored 14 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi a week ago, sparking Tennessee after a lifeless start.
Bowden said he is seeing the game differently now, finding a different perspective in seeing the early minutes of the game from the sideline instead of on the floor. He’s fine with continuing to hold that role, finding ways to spark Tennessee in any way possible.
“I’m starting to like it,” Bowden said. “It’s just different. But I’m starting to get it. I’m trying to be the first person who started then came off the bench to win sixth man of the year.
“I’m just trying to do anything to help the team.”