It’s 2023 and Tennessee is still winning at Thompson Boling Arena.
Tennessee’s Tuesday night tilt with the Mississippi State Bulldogs marked the first opportunity of the new year for an entertaining trip out of the house for many in the crowd in Knoxville.
It also marked the opening of SEC play at Thompson Boling Arena for the Vols and Tennessee wasted no time in dismantling the Dogs with a 87-53 dub.
The action got started before the first whistle (or even the pregame fireworks) with the best national anthem I’ve heard in quite some time. I wish I could have caught the performer’s name but they only mention it before the song begins. I’m going to start writing the names down before they start just in case we get another performance like that so I can buy their CD in the future. She was outstanding and a sign of things to come.
The Bulldogs hit the floor in all black uni’s that displayed only the word “STATE” in block letters. Pretty tough stuff, you’d think, but the Vols didn’t seem to notice and UT played its most relaxed ball of the season. Senior guard Santiago Vescovi seemed especially chill and set the tone early for a game that was never in question.
It was a full team effort in this one, though, and Uros Plavsic began the game with his finest post move to date. He got Mississippi State’s Tolu Smith in the air with an up and under move and easily laid it up to put the Vols on the board. Tyreke Key followed with a three and the Vols were off to the races.
Vescovi brought the ball up the court with a mesmerizingly slow pace and since no one picked him up, he pulled and hit. He hit a more contested triple on the team’s next possession and just three minutes in, the Vols led 11-0.
Sophomore big Jonas Aidoo was the first sub for the Vols and Zakai “Zip” Zeigler entered just one possession later. He immediately made his signature impact with a steal and a dish to Olivier Nkamhoua that resulted in a dunk.
Tennessee led 16-0 with 15:37 left in the first when Josiah Jordan James checked in to loud applause and Eminem’s “Without Me” booming from the speakers at midcourt.
That reminds me, they finally turned down Sterling Hinton’s microphone for his hype breaks. His energy is never amiss, but they had that thing turned up to 11 in previous games and it was too much. And that’s coming from a person who turns everything up as loud as it will go.
Zip turned the ball over on the Vols first possession after the first media timeout but immediately stole it back. He’s always been cool like that.
D.J. Jeffries finally got Mississippi State on the board six minutes and 14 seconds into the game, but it was on an Aidoo goal tend. He was fouled on the play and hit his free throw but it wasn’t until Keshawn Murphy hit a three exactly nine minutes in when the Bulldogs saw a basketball go through the cylinder from the field.
The Bulldogs couldn’t wait for the under-eight-minute media break to call a timeout after Key hit his second three after a drive from Vesovi opened things up.
It was all for not, though, as MSU went dry on its possesh and UT Freshman Julian Phillips got a trey to fall after it blooped around the rim for a tick.
Vescovi added another three point basket with 4:45 to go in the half to stretch the lead to 19. Freshman large Tobe Awaka checked in and immediately completed an “and one” off a Zeigler drive to push the lead to 22.
The run wasn’t over. On the Vols next touch, Zip set up Phillips on a jam.
Jordan James got an immediate steal, dished it to Zip and got it back on an alley opp and it was time for the t-shirt cannon.
James would hit a three on the next trip and the Vols led a team that was ranked 21st in the country just a week ago 43-15 with two minutes to go in the half.
State shot 7-23 from the field in the first half (30%) and 2-11 from three (18%).
Tennessee, on the other hand, made 17 of its 28 shots (60%) from the field. That included nine of 15 from behind the arc (60%). It also went three of three from the stripe (100%). When Tennessee’s shots are falling and its defense is this sticky, it’s hard to win on Rocky Top. In fact, this game marked the Vols 23rd win in a row at Thompson Boling Arena.
The second half was more of the same. Tennessee played its smoothest and perhaps most complete game of the season and got contributions from nearly everyone who saw the court.
Vescovi was one of five players in double figures and led the way with 14. Phillips had 11 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes and Zip notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists. He added three steals, as well.
Jamai Mayshack, who has the worst music taste on the team according to one of those timeout jumbotron interviews, added key minutes of hustle and flow. His contributions on the stat sheet rarely reflect the amount of work he does on the floor. He’s the kind of player that other teams hate and his skill set will continue to improve as he gains experience.
The Vols travel to South Carolina on Saturday before returning home to face Vandy and extend its home winning streak.
