by Seth Norris • photos by Bill Foster
The boo-birds were out in full force Saturday afternoon with the return of former Volunteer Jonas Aidoo.
The first-ranked Tennessee basketball team began SEC play in front of a sell-out crowd, dominating head coach John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks 76-52 to stay undefeated. “Their crowd was a big factor,” said Calipari after the game. “Their students aren’t supposed to be back yet, but it seemed like everybody was back today to enjoy that one.”
Senior guard Chaz Lanier led Tennessee with 29 points by shooting an impressive 50% from the field. Igor Milicic Jr. poured-in a double-double with 13 points and 18 rebounds.
Effort was the real story on Saturday. The Vols out-rebounded the Razorbacks 51 to 29, with 24 of those coming on the offensive glass. “They’re the number one team for a reason,” said Calipari. “They’re physical and were giving us one tough shot. We got totally manhandled.”
Eight Volunteers registered more than one minute of playing time, and all eight had multiple rebounds. “I thank the good Lord that we have a group of guys that are unselfish,” said Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes, “I think they’re locked in to each other.”
Before tip, the Tennessee defense was ranked second in the nation by only allowing 56.2 points per game. They improved on that number today, but Barnes says the best is yet to come. “Believe me, we can still get better,” said Barnes. “I don’t think we’re at quite the level we were a year ago.”
Tennessee looks to continue that improvement and keep the momentum going as they begin to prep for a highly anticipated showdown in Gainesville with the No. 6 Florida Gators. The 14-0 Vols will tip off at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN2.
