Tennessee won a sleepy one 76-40 against an outmatched McNeese State Cowboys on Wednesday evening at Thompson Boling Arena.
The Cowboys made the 781-mile post-Thanksgiving trek from Lake Charles, Louisiana and never seemed to figure out a way to get cooking on the offensive side.
This, of course, had a lot to do with Tennessee, who may have suffered from “The Itis” offensively but cleaned the collective plate of McNeese State throughout both halves when the Cowboys had the turkey.
Flourishing true freshman Kyle Phillips got the Vols on the board just under a minute in.
Phillips made a couple of plays above the rim early on. It would prove to be one of the only bright spots for UT in the game.
The Cowboys would tie the game at two a couple of minutes later and the table was set for a slugfest.
The product remained sluggish until Zakai Ziegler entered with his usual spark and splashed from deep.
Senior guard Sanitago Vescovi finally hit on a three after a long rebound from an errant Ziegler try from the same distance and the score rested at 11-4 ten minutes in. It was three minutes later when Vescovi finally broke the seal again to stretch the lead to 16-4. It was a brutal start for those who fancy high-scoring affairs.
In comparison to the game’s first 13 minutes, both teams found the recipe for the final seven of the half. Vescovi led the Vols at the break with eight points while Phillips and Jonas Aidoo were tied for second with five a piece. Aidoo also added six boards and four blocks, all in 11 minutes of play.
During the first 20 minutes, only nine of Tennessee’s 26 shots (34.6%) from the floor went in. Three of 12 (25%) threes dropped and even though the Cowboys committed 13 fouls in the opening stanza, just nine of UT’s 18 free throws (50%) went in.
The defense once was again stellar for the Vols, though, and it allowed just 14 points in the first half. McNeese State didn’t connect on any of its seven attempts from three and shot just 23% from the field.
The second half was more of the same. The Vols stretched their 30-14 halftime lead to 41-16 within a few minutes, but the game remained a blunder for the most part.
Phillips ended the game with 12 points, five boards and four assists while Vescovi took top chef honors with 16 points.
Nkamhoua finished with 11 points six boards and Aidoo had a legitimate impact with seven points, six rebounds and five blocks.
Freshmen BJ Edwards and Tobe Awaka were able to soak up three plus minutes of all important experience and each made noticeable contributions.
Next up for the Vols is a pair of get-rights where Tennessee could further its depth and experience against Alcorn State (December 4th) and Eastern Kentucky (December 7th) before things get serious with matchups against Maryland (December 11) and Arizona (December 17th).
