Tennessee basketball throttles Tennessee State to move to 5-0
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Behind a dominant defensive performance at home on Thursday night, Tennessee basketball moved to 5-0 on the young season.
The Vols beat Tennessee State 89-60 on their home floor. Five different UT players scored in double figures as the Volunteer offense knocked in 8 triples and 31 free throw attempts. Ja’Kobi Gillespie led the way with 17 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. Nate Ament and Amaree Abram each added 15 points.
But the story of the game was the Tennessee defense.
Tennessee forced a season-high 22 turnovers — 12 of which came off steals — and turned those extra possessions into points. They had 13 fastbreak points and 24 points off turnovers. They controlled the boards and limited Tennessee State to 7 second-chance points.
The Tigers shot 32% from the field and just 19% from beyond the 3-point line. They made only 5 triples all game. Tennessee also made more free throws than TSU attempted (25).
Tennessee has held each of its first 5 opponents under 70 points.
With the win, Tennessee has now opened consecutive seasons with 5-0 starts for the first time since 2019 and 2020. The Vols head to Las Vegas on Monday to face Rutgers in the Players Era Men’s Championship.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
