Tennessee went back to making 3-pointers Saturday against UNC Greensboro, but shooting took a back seat to the defensive play of the Volunteers.
The 13th-ranked Vols entered Thompson-Boling Arena leading the nation in defensive efficiency and completely smothered the Southern Conference’s Spartans, holding them to 36.8% accuracy and forcing them into 25 turnovers during a 76-36 dismantling. The 36 points set a record for the fewest by a Tennessee opponent since the facility’s opening in 1987.
“We always talk about how defense will play every night and if you’re good defensively, you’ve got a chance every single night,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “I think our guys understand that if they’re going to play, they’re going to have to do that and that most of our substitutions are based on what guys are getting done on the defensive end and what they’re not getting done.
“Are they locked into our scouting report? Are they bringing the energy and the fight that we’re needing them to bring? We’re trying to convince them, and I think they’ve done a good job for the most part.”
Tennessee improved to 7-2 with the resounding triumph, while UNCG, the SoCon’s winningest program since the start of the 2016-17 season with 132 victories, fell to 7-3.
Barnes admitted that he put his Vols through intense practices after Tuesday night’s 57-52 overtime loss to Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden but maintained the message that their defensive play gave them a chance to win amid a horrific shooting night. Tennessee’s defense Saturday simply produced a game that was over by halftime.
“I think we’re helping more on the weakside and having our teammates’ backs,” Vols junior guard Santiago Vescovi said. “It’s something we’ve been working on. Our coaches are doing a great job of scouting other teams and getting us prepared to play defense every single game, and the whole mindset we have is really good, too.”
Said freshman guard Zakai Zeigler: “We pride ourselves a lot on defense. We know night in and night out that teams are going to give us their best shot, so no matter who we play, we’ve got to be locked in on defense.”
Tennessee shot just 6-of-40 from 3-point range in New York City, but a Zeigler 3-pointer with 7:22 remaining that extended the lead to 62-28 against UNCG gave the Vols a more respectable 12-of-30 clip from long range. They finished 13-of-35.
“It was great to see the ball go in the hoop,” junior guard/forward Josiah-Jordan James said. “Give some credit to Texas Tech, but we shot the shots that we shoot in practice, and they just didn’t fall. We knew that wouldn’t be the case throughout the year, and it was great to come back today and take all the shots that we did and nobody was hesitant.”
A Victor Bailey jumper at the 13:51 mark of the first half put Tennessee up 11-2, with a Jordan Powell jumper a couple minutes later giving the Vols their first double-digit lead at 15-5. UNCG scored the next six points to get within 15-11, but a Zeigler 3-pointer with 3:55 before halftime capped a 13-0 surge that made it 28-11.
James and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield led a balanced scoring attack with 12 points apiece, while Vescovi added 10. Zeigler and Kennedy Chandler each chipped in nine.
“I thought tonight that everybody who went into the game took their minutes seriously,” Barnes said.
The Vols remain at home for Tuesday’s 7 p.m. matchup with USC Upstate (2-7), a team Tennessee topped 80-60 last season in Knoxville.
“Everybody is buying in and locking in,” Zeigler said. “We’ve got a bunch of unselfish guys. I think everybody will stay locked in and stay ready and know what we’ve got to do.”
Odds and ends
Tennessee improved to 97-17 all-time against current SoCon members, which includes a 34-6 mark against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. … Barnes was facing UNCG for the first time since his second game as a head coach, when his George Mason Patriots rolled to a 107-79 victory in December 1987. … Saturday marked the first time this season the Vols failed to score at least 80 points at home.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.