Tennessee Basketball: Reaction to blowout win over Mississippi State

Tennessee Basketball got a convincing victory over Mississippi State in an SEC matchup. What were the key takeaways from the Vols side?

Tennessee Basketball did what they do to everyone against Mississippi State: lock down on defense. But what was so surprising about the Vols’ 87-53 win was their offensive dominance. In one game, they jumped from the 53rd most efficient offense in the country per KenPom to 38th. It was a one-sided offensive explosion in Knoxville against one of the nation’s best defensive units so far this season.

Sure, the Big Orange won’t shoot like this every night or be able to dictate every possession, but this game displayed the ceiling of what this year’s team CAN look like when everything is clicking. On Tuesday night, they looked like one of the five most dangerous teams in all of college basketball.

All of my takeaways will obviously be positive ones, but the toughest part about this piece will be identifying ONLY three. There’s a lot to discuss about how impressive they looked so let’s start with the most obvious take, the one that I led off this whole story with.

Vols offensive explosion

As previously mentioned, the Vols were 53rd in the nation in offensive efficiency and over the course of 40 minutes, jumped up 15 spots. From a numbers standpoint, it was off the charts. They scored at a rate of 1.4 points per possession, they made a laughably high 77% of their two-point attempts and made an absurd 57% of their three-point attempts. They were so efficient from the field, they were able to put up 87 points with only three coming from the free throw line, totaling 84 points just on field goal attempts!

I watch a ton of college basketball, I peruse through an obnoxious amount of box scores on a daily basis, and I’m not sure I have seen a more insane offensive output this season (even though Kansas State will give them a run for their money with their 116-point display against Texas just hours later).

The scoring output has been the one thing missing from this team all season long. They’ve been the best defense in the country for a majority of the season and because of their elite ability to rebound on offense, they’ve been able to manage having an impressive resume despite looking like an elite team when they have the ball. But, now that they are finally at full strength with the return of Josiah-Jordan James (more on him later), the Vols made a statement that when they are at their best, they’re the most complete team in the SEC.

When watching the game, you’ll notice how Tennessee was able to get whatever shot they wanted against a variety of defensive looks that Chris Jans and his bunch threw at them. They started off in a traditional man defense, the Vols torched them to the tune of an early 16-0 lead (with MSU inexplicably waiting to pick up Santiago Vescovi BEHIND the three-point line). MSU then switched to an extended zone defense, leaving the middle of the paint from about 15-18 feet away from the rim exposed.

Tennessee responded by running high-low action with Olivier Nkamhoa in the middle of the zone where he picked it apart by making mid-range shots and finding ideal looks. Reserve point guard Zakei Zeigler then got into the paint at will and was able to find open shooters and cutters from the baseline/dunker spot for easy baskets. Along with the team knocking down looks, Rick Barnes coached circles around Jans and MSU.

I love teams that share the ball as well, and on Tuesday night, Tennessee recorded 28 team assists. 28! They already post one of the highest team assist rates in all of college basketball, but 28 in a game will be a number that stands out for the rest of the season.

But of all the fun offensive stats in this game, this is my favorite/most absurd. MSU technically out-rebounded Tennessee on the offensive glass (10-7). But the Vols had a monstrous advantage when it comes to offensive rebound PERCENTAGE. The seven offensive boards accounted for almost 44% of all their missed shots. MSU’s ten offensive boards accounted for less than 28% of theirs. So, despite losing the raw offensive rebound battle 10-7, they dominated percentages 43%-28% because they simply just didn’t miss shots! MSU almost grabbed as many missed shots with 10 as Tennessee ACTUALLY missed with 16!

Tennessee displays more defensive dominance

Now to the least surprising development of this game: lockdown Tennessee defense. What we saw on Tuesday was one of the more impressive displays of playing passing lanes you’ll ever see from a team.

I have two favorite examples. First, was the very first sequence of Zeigler’s night. Unfortunately for him, he made a bad pass that resulted in a turnover. But, when MSU attempted to make an outlet pass to continue the break, Zeigler turned his head, read the pass, and made the steal. It was the perfect display of what Zeigler brings to the table defensively. Despite his small size, you must be aware of where he is on the floor at all times because he is simply NEVER out of the play.

The next example was also my favorite play of the night. Later in the first half, as the Vols are pulling away, a pass was made to the wing and James reads it like a book, getting his hand on the ball and coming away with a steal on the perimeter. What ensued was a pass to Zeigler who proceeded to run a two-on-one fast break that ended with a perfectly timed lob pass to James who finished the possession with a dunk on the other end.

That play perfectly encapsulated Tennessee’s most efficient offense: offense that comes from their defensive ability. The Vols turn teams over at the fourth-highest rate in the country and on Tuesday night, they turned many of the Bulldogs’ 12 turnovers into points.

The triumphant return of Josiah-Jordan James

The senior forward returned to action for the first time since December 7th and made an immediate impact off the bench. He only played 17 minutes, but was a menace in the passing lanes and with his on-ball defense, dished out four assists and made both of his three-point attempts.

Tennessee’s offense needed an additional threat on the perimeter, especially when Vescovi and Zeigler were struggling to make shots before conference play. With James in the lineup, he brings a 41% three-point shooting percentage along with his fantastic strength and athleticism, and perimeter defensive ability. The Vols are a deeper, more complete team with James in the lineup and it’s no coincidence that their best offensive performance of the season came when they were at their healthiest.

Final take

There was so much in this game that I still haven’t gotten to mention, like Vescovi making four of his eight three-point attempts and continuing his positive three-point shooting regression from his 29% start. Or Zeigler leading the team with 10 assists and looking the best he has all season long on both sides of the ball. Or even the continued offensive improvement from freshman forward Julian Phillips, who scored 11 points on 5-6 shooting.

The Vols displayed a version of their best selves on Tuesday night. They showed off their scoring balance (Phillips, Vescovi, Nkamhoa, Uros Plavsic, and Zeigler all scored in double figures). They showed off the smothering defense that has been a staple all season long (MSU held to only 0.85 points per possession). And most surprisingly, they put on one of the best offensive displays in college basketball this season against a really good MSU defensive unit that has made good offenses look pedestrian this season.

Will Tennessee look like THIS all season long? Ha! No. But it’s definitely a sign that, now that they’re fully healthy from a personnel standpoint, the offense should continue to get better and the team can prove themselves to be the Final Four contenders that I, and many others, expected they could be at the beginning of the season.