For a second consecutive December, it was Rocky Top over Rocky Mountain High in men’s basketball.
Tennessee freshman point guard Kennedy Chandler scored a season-high 29 points and junior guard Santiago Vescovi didn’t miss from the floor as the No. 13 Volunteers whipped Colorado 69-54 Saturday afternoon at the CU Events Center in Boulder. It was the first true road atmosphere for the Vols since March 3, 2020, when they upset Kentucky 81-73 in Rupp Arena the week before the outbreak of the coronavirus brought the sports world to a halt.
The Vols, who improved to 6-1 entering a Monday night date with Texas Tech in New York City, collected nine steals and limited the Buffaloes to 34.5% shooting.
“I thought our defensive effort was terrific today, and I thought we grew up a little bit more,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “I told Kennedy that I thought they would let him have all the 3s that he would want but that he could get to the rim if he wanted to.”
Tennessee won last season’s matchup 56-47 in Knoxville, which served as the opener for the Vols after multiple games were canceled due to COVID-19 issues.