Vols knock out Ole Miss, face Missouri

Tennessee can play better but it played well enough to advance in the SEC tournament. It knocked out Ole Miss, 70-55, at beautiful Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. Orange fans were loud.

This was a revised form of “senior evening.”

Seniors played like seniors. Defense was restored. Veteran Vols Josiah-Jordan James scored 20, Santiago Vescovi 15 and Olivier Nkamhoua nine. Uros Plavsic was very good on defense. Freshman Tobe Awaka helped establish a 38-22 edge in rebounding.

Team leaders Josiah-Jordan James (20 points, 31 minutes) and Santiago Vescovi (15 points, 36 minutes) salute the band after the Vol win over Ole Miss on March 9.

Tennessee will face Missouri this afternoon (Friday) at approximately 3:30 on ESPN. Most likely the Vols remember last time they met – a buzzer-beater, a painful 86-85 home-court setback, mid-point in a February to forget.

Eighty-six by the Tigers, think about that, high for the season. It was almost a great game.

Tennessee trailed by 17 with 17 minutes to go. Tennessee caught up and surged ahead. Missouri won when DeAndre Gholston, racing the clock, hit a long three. It was borderline unbelievable.

Ole Miss did not follow the revised March script. It started hot, maybe sizzling. Tennessee’s defense seemed sluggish. The Rebels hit four three-pointers and were out front 25-19 with nine minutes remaining in the half. Mark that down as the beginning of the end. The Vols clamped down. Rick Barnes explained.

“Ball pressure.”

The coach is not big on zone defenses but he gave the Rebs a little look and it seemed to have a cooling effect. Mississippi missed seven of eight.

Scoring leader Josiah-Jordan James is interviewed by the SEC Network after Tennessee’s 70-55 win over Ole Miss.

The Vols were 7-for-15 from three in the first half. JJJ hit one with part of a second to spare and intermission was calm with a 39-33 advantage. James began the second half with a personal 5-0 run.

“I thought, in the second half, Uros (Plavsic) and Jahmai (Mashack) were the ones who brought the aggression,” said Barnes. “When we started changing a little bit with our ball screen, I thought Uros did a really good job. Started doubling a little bit, more hard help, doing things like that.

“We didn’t want them to get the spot-up threes. But I think the zone helped us early. I think the zone probably broke a little bit of rhythm.”

Ole Miss scored 22 in the second half. It fought back briefly (7-0 run reduced the deficit to 50-46 with 12:22 to go) but Tennessee’s 12-2 outburst stopped the drama. The Rebels never got closer than nine. They missed nine of their final 10 attempts.

The winners hit 47.1 percent. The losers hit 35.7. That’s how good was Tennessee’s defense. The coach noticed the seniors.

VFL Lang Wiseman is honored as a SEC Legend during halftime of the UT vs Ole Miss game. Wiseman played for the Vols under coach Wade Houston from 1989-93. He graduated in business from Tennessee and obtained a law degree from Harvard University. He practices with the Baker Donelson firm in Nashville.

“They have to (step up). I mean it’s on them to do it. With all that we’ve been through this year, they’ve seen it all. Different games take on different personalities. We’ve found a way to do it.”

Barnes said “We’ve got to defend. We did in the second half. I thought we got back to being more physical, getting out and getting through passing lanes. Santi, again, did a great job with what he does.

“Our seniors, this time of year, it should be their time.”

Vescovi had an opinion.

“I think it starts with us, the older guys. We have to do a better job getting the team ready, setting the tone from the first possession, not just waiting. Then just trying to get in rhythm as the game goes.

“We know every single game is a fight. Every single game for us is a championship game. We know that every game we’re going to have to fight from the start because that can bite you in the worst time.”

Win and do it again, lose and go home.

Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com.