There weren’t a slew of bright spots for Tennessee in Wednesday night’s 66-65 loss at Vanderbilt, but freshman forward Tobe Awaka and his season-high 22 minutes would qualify.
The 6-foot-8, 250-pound freshman from Hyde Park, New York, tallied eight points and grabbed nine rebounds.
“It felt good being able to help the team try to win,” Awaka said Friday afternoon. “It was a tough loss for all of us, but I think I’m being more focused in practice and understanding more of what the game plan is and what my matchup is in that specific game. I’ve just been focusing on that.”
In the five games Awaka has played 15 minutes or more, he averaged 7.6 rebounds.
The No. 6 Volunteers, who are 19-5 overall and 8-3 in Southeastern Conference play, will look to bounce back Saturday night when they host vastly improved Missouri (18-6, 6-5). Tennessee has played 59 games since last losing consecutive contests, and the Tigers topped the Vols 73-64 during their last trip to Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 23, 2021.