Tennessee may have the most talented bench in college basketball, but that could be subject to change.
Five-star freshman guards Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson have yet to start for the 10th-ranked Volunteers but erupted Friday night for 34 combined points on 13-of-18 shooting in a 103-49 dismantling of Tennessee Tech. Springer and Johnson combined for 24 points in the first half, when Tennessee built a 49-22 lead and assured itself of a 4-0 start and the program’s 400th triumph inside Thompson-Boling Arena.
“They are both winners, and they both have a competitive spirit about them,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “Will we change the lineup at some point in time? We could, but the key is not who starts. These guys want to finish, and I think it’s a real compliment to both of them that they don’t have a sense of entitlement.
“They are about winning, and if we change the lineup, they are going to make us do it by what they do in practice, not in a game. Everything they’ve done to this point, they’ve had to earn it, and they’ve worked hard to earn it.”
A pair of 3-pointers by the Golden Eagles kept them within 8-6 through the first four minutes of the game, but Springer scored 11 points in a 15-3 run that put Tennessee on cruise control at 23-9. The 6-foot-4, 204-pounder from Charlotte, North Carolina, was 8-of-10 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, to finish with a game-high 21 points.
Johnson, a 6-5, 186-pounder from Shelbyville, Tennessee, also went 2-for-3 from long range as the touted newcomers continue to get more and more comfortable.
“We’re in similar situations,” Springer said. “Neither one of us were used to coming off the bench before we came here, but we’re learning to adjust to those roles and make the best of it every time we step on the court.”
Tennessee had awaited a big offensive evening and got one, as the Vols made 57.7% of their shots (42-of-72) from the floor and 47.4% from 3-point range (9-of-19). Springer led six Vols in double figures, with Josiah-Jordan James and Victor Bailey each amassing 15 points, Johnson and John Fulkerson 13 apiece and Yves Pons 10.
The Vols racked up 28 assists and suffered just seven turnovers.
“We like that, and we want to have depth,” Barnes said. “In the past, we’ve played through one or two guys, but we’ve got different things that we can do. We know that we’ve got really good defensive depth, but we’ve got to continue to build consistent offensive depth.”
Said Springer: “We knew this was going to happen. We know there are going to be games where we miss shots, but as long as we keep taking the right shots, they’re eventually going to fall.”
The Vols, who had another stout outing defensively, have surrendered just 47.5 points per game. Fresno State’s 47.0 points allowed a contest leads the nation, but the Bulldogs have played just once.
Golden Eagles junior guard Jr. Clay entered Friday averaging a team-high 13.8 points per game and was tops again with 13. The former McCallie School standout was 1-for-9 from the floor before making his final three attempts, but Tennessee Tech’s 0-8 start had long been sealed by that point.
Tennessee will resume play Monday night against visiting Saint Joseph’s in a game that will tip off at 6 on the SEC Network and likely showcase even more excitement from Springer and Johnson.
“We’ve got high expectations for them – maybe more than they have for themselves,” Barnes said. “They’re competitive, and we all see what they can do, but I think there is still so much more in the tank for both of them.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.