Physical defense key for Vols again in NCAA tourney win [video, photos]

Tennessee beats Wright State, advances to second round

Tennessee's Lamonte Turner, center, drives to the basket as Wright State's Parker Ernsthausen (22) closes in during their NCAA tournament opener Thursday afternoon in Dallas. Turner had 19 points and nine assists to help the third-seeded Vols advance with a 73-47 win.
Tennessee's Lamonte Turner, center, drives to the basket as Wright State's Parker Ernsthausen (22) closes in during their NCAA tournament opener Thursday afternoon in Dallas. Turner had 19 points and nine assists to help the third-seeded Vols advance with a 73-47 win.

DALLAS - The American Airlines Center was so quiet with six minutes left in the game that everyone seated in the lower bowl could hear Rick Barnes yell, first at John Fulkerson for committing the foul and then at referee Don Daily for calling it.

"Don, what did he do?" the Tennessee men's basketball coach barked.

The exchange appropriately encapsulated No. 3 seed Tennessee's 73-47 victory over No. 14 seed Wright State on Thursday in the NCAA tournament's opening round.

A quiet arena late in the second half meant the Volunteers were taking care of business against a team most expected them to beat. But it did not mean Barnes was thrilled with all aspects of their performance.

"I think this time of year, you're looking for perfection," he said afterward.

Amid the nerves of its first NCAA tournament game since 2014, the Vols (26-8) struggled on offense early and were ultimately carried by defense as they advanced with a mostly drama-free victory just a few lulls away from the perfection Barnes sought. Tennessee's next game is Saturday against 11th-seeded Loyola of Chicago (29-5), a 64-62 winner against No. 6 seed Miami (22-10) on a last-second shot a couple of hours after the Vols' victory.

"It's a good feeling to come out and get your first NCAA tournament win," said Lamonte Turner, who led Tennessee with 19 points and nine assists. "The stage was nice, the atmosphere was nice. You kind of dream of moments like this. Once guys settled down and got the win, it felt good."

Wright State (25-10) pulled within 26-19 late in the first half and did not concede in the second half, even after Tennessee opened up a 48-27 lead with a quick run after halftime. In the end, the Vols were too physical.

Admiral Schofield scored two of his 15 points on a vicious dunk over a pair of defenders with 2:34 left, putting the Vols ahead 65-43. As Tennessee put three reserves in the game late, one of them - redshirt freshman Jalen Johnson - got a steal and threw down another thunderous slam as a contingent of a couple thousand Vols fans roared.

"Rocky Top" played in the final minutes. Instead of becoming the 22nd No. 3 seed in NCAA tournament history to lose its opener, Tennessee took care of business against an opponent that had its attention.

"They're really a team that, watching them on tape, you could tell they were just a terrific team," Barnes said of Wright State, which receive an automatic bid as the Horizon League champion. "They understood each other. They've had one of those special years, a lot like we have. So from that point, defensively we were really pretty good today against a team that's not a very easy team to guard."

Tennessee missed its first six shots from the field before a 3-pointer by Schofield - who finished with a double-double, leading the team with 12 rebounds - began the Vols' scoring at the 16:42 mark. Grant Williams, who sat out the final six minutes of the first half after picking up his second foul, finished with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting and also had nine rebounds.

Barnes rotated nine players early, sending fresh legs into the game at nearly every early stoppage. Wright State's leading scorer this season, Grant Benzinger, struggled to get clean shots, missing his first three. The Raiders were 3-of-17 from the floor with 7:30 remaining in the half and Tennessee leading 21-8.

The Warriors found good looks at the basket late in the first half and early in the second but shot just 32 percent from the field and 4-of-21 from 3-point range. Wright State was led by 12 points from Loudon Love and 11 from Everett Winchester off the bench.

"We haven't been a great offensive team," Raiders coach Scott Nagy said. "We've had some ups and downs. We've been in some games like this where we've played this poor offensively and won, but when you're playing Tennessee, that just isn't going to happen."

Tennessee's quick turnaround from Sunday's loss to Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference tournament final - the culmination of three games in three days - was a source of concern for Barnes. Now the Vols will have at least a few bruises to mend Friday as they prepare for Saturday's game. Schofield took a hard fall and Alexander tweaked his hip.

Nicks and bruises are to be expected this time of year. It's the NCAA tournament, and there are no second chances.

"We're going to get a day off and really recoup our bodies and our minds," Schofield said, "and get ready for whoever our next opponent is."

Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.

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