Tennessee posts wire-to-wire victory over Baylor to win Baha-Mar title
Tennessee improved to 6-0 on the season Friday night with a wire-to-wire 77-62 victory over No. 13 Baylor, thanks in part to a sizzling first half from Chaz Lanier.
The North Florida transfer all but ended this one after the first 4 minutes, and that’s no exaggeration. Lanier splashed 5 triples right from the jump, leading to a 25-point outing. You can find Lanier’s early flurry at the start of the below highlight reel.
the Friday night ‘lights pic.twitter.com/4bCWgPxLHd
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) November 23, 2024
Though they aren’t the same type of player, it’s not hard to draw some similarities between Lanier and former Vols star Dalton Knecht. Both mid-major transfers can shoot the lights out, and both have a tendency to go on unstoppable scoring streaks – though we’ll still need to see if Lanier can keep this going the entire season like Knecht did.
Unlike Knecht last year, Lanier might have some consistent scoring help from his Tennessee teammates. Jordan Gainey and Igor Milicic each had great games Friday against the Bears, with Gainey dropping 16 while Milicic contributed 10 points and 3 assists.
Perhaps equally important alongside Lanier’s scoring ability is Tennessee’s suffocating backcourt defense. In short, this might end up being the best defensive unit Barnes has had at Tennessee – though there’s a long season ahead.
Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack are some of the best defenders in the country, and both will be in the mix for SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Mix that with some stout rim protection from Felix Okpara and you can see why Baylor scored just 20 points in the first half.
The Vols are back in action on Wednesday against UT Martin.
If this team can stay healthy, they could be dangerous.
Pure dominance. 7 months of quality sports ahead of us and 2 NCAA tournaments. Feels nice.
Impressive win. While much of the attention has been on Arkansas (lost to Baylor) and Kentucky, Tennessee lies in wait. Kentucky shaping up, Arkansas is just not convincing anyone. Might not even be the best team in Arkansas.