KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee Volunteers showed Saturday night why there can still be a big difference between a top-five team and an undefeated team in early January.
Ole Miss arrived at the Food City Center with 13 consecutive wins to open up the Chris Beard era, but the No. 22 Rebels had their perfect start extinguished convincingly during a 90-64 loss to the No. 5 Vols. Tennessee 6-foot-11 junior forward Jonas Aidoo led the onslaught with 24 points and 10 rebounds, and the Vols outrebounded the Rebels by a staggering 47-24 margin.
It was the largest victory over a ranked opponent by Tennessee since an 88-58 thrashing of No. 25 Kentucky on Feb. 16, 2013, and it was the most thorough performance of this season.
“There is no doubt,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said. “When we came back from Christmas, we talked about how we have not put together a complete game. I thought the biggest thing tonight was our communication, and it was without question the best that we’ve played.
“Chris Beard is one of the best in the business and has done a terrific job in a short time, but we were at our best.”