It looked exactly like a disaster getting ready to happen.
Missouri’s basement boys, winless in Southeastern Conference basketball, carried the fight to highly regarded Tennessee. The Tigers were a little better at scoring in a miserable first half. They were much better as hustlers. They got more than their share of 50-50 balls. They played tougher defense.
The Volunteers didn’t exactly sleep-walk through the first half but were low on energy and empty of excitement. They shot 30 percent. They missed all nine three-point attempts. Dalton Knecht, knocked around by double-team muggers, didn’t have a field goal.
Whatever Rick Barnes said at intermission about the lack of execution made minimum impact. Tennessee trailed by seven with 15 minutes remaining. The Vols were eye-to-eye with their worst defeat of the year.
I must say this gently: At this crucial intersection, Knecht had a grand total of two points, two free throws made, two missed. Tobe Awaka was the Vols’ combat soldier in the war zone.
Knecht hit his first shot from the field, a jumper from the side, with 13:18 to go. Somebody shouted, with a touch of sarcasm, “He lives!”
The Tigers had no way of knowing that was the beginning of the end. About 30 seconds later, Dalton threw in a three. He powered through to a layup. He hit another three. In his two-thirds of the second half, he scored 15. He changed the game. Tennessee won, 72-67. The margin should have been a little wider.
Knecht tried so hard. He had 10 rebounds, his first double-double as a Volunteer. Alas, he lost five turnovers. As a shooter, he was six for 16.
Awaka had better numbers, 18 points, six of eight from around the goal, six of seven free throws, 10 rebounds, one block and one steal.
Barnes made a strategic move, using Awaka and Jonas Aidoo at the same time. Jonas scored 14 and blocked four shots. Zakai Zeigler didn’t shoot well but accumulated 10 points. He was not as sharp as usual handling the ball.
Tennessee shot 55.6 percent in the second half.
Some other numbers are cause for concern. Tennessee had 15 turnovers and only 10 assists. The super seniors got stuck in reverse. Santiago Vescovi scored one point. Josiah-Jordan James scored four but missed five of six from the floor.
The Vols struggled to guard Missouri guard Sean East. He led with 24. Noah Carter had 20.
Awaka conceded that the Vols started somewhat slowly. They were at least twice that bad. Knecht said they lacked execution and the coach got on them about that.
“We deserved it … we came out flat.”
Knecht said teammates told him it was time “for him to take over and be you, show why you’re here.”
He did. He said he finally felt comfortable and the ball just started going in. He thanked others for getting him the ball in good places. He realized when he finally found the zone.
“When you’re in that zone, you feel like you can’t miss. It’s one of the best feelings in the world.”
Rick Barnes took a little longer to get there.
“Well, the good thing is we won a game. In the first half, I thought we were absolutely horrible. I just felt like we didn’t have the energy, the fight that we should have had.”
The coach said he knew it was going to be a hard-fought game, “especially if we didn’t rebound the ball the way we should and take care of the ball the way we should.
“I think it was probably the first half this year we’ve gone without making a three. Too many turnovers by certain guys. Our defense kept us in the game because we were absolutely horrible the first half (offensively).”
Barnes said he didn’t think guard play overall was particularly great. He said some people fouled too much at the end. He found something nice to say about James, that he appreciated JJJ knocking down a couple of free throws in the last minute.
Barnes was spot on target when he said victories are hard to get under such circumstances, playing against a team that hadn’t won an SEC game all season (0-13).
“I’m telling you; they have not stopped playing hard all year … the fact is they played us hard, tough, and we were fortunate to get the win.”
Next: Texas A&M comes to Food City Center for a Saturday game. If the Vols remember Feb. 10 in College Station, they may seek revenge. If you are keeping score, the big, bad Aggies have lost three in a row.
Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com