KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee Volunteers shouldn’t be expected to score 90 points in every Southeastern Conference basketball game this winter.
They do, however, plan to be a continuing nuisance defensively.
The No. 5 Vols served notice Saturday — as did Auburn and Kentucky — that they will be factors in this year’s league race by opening conference play with a 90-64 lambasting of No. 22 Ole Miss. The 10-of-18 shooting clip from 3-point range after a 1-of-12 start certainly enabled Tennessee to pull away, but the Vols have grown defensively since the start of the season and punished the Rebels with a 47-24 rebounding advantage.
“I definitely feel like we’re the best defensive team in the country — for sure, and without a doubt,” junior guard Jahmai Mashack said after Tennessee improved to 11-3 overall. “That’s just because I practice against these guys. Think about it. When you have to bring the ball up against Zakai (Zeigler) 94 feet, and you finally get off Zakai and have to meet Jonas (Aidoo) at the rim, it’s tough.
“We have wing defenders who are long and have active hands. They can meet you at the block, and they can meet you at the 3-point line, so it’s ‘good luck’ when you’re playing a defense like that.”