Tennessee forward Grant Williams, left, and point guard Jordan Bone talk during the first half of Saturday night's game against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. Williams scored 22 points and Bone had 19 points and 10 assists as the top-ranked Vols won 93-76.
Tennessee's Admiral Schofield tries to guard Texas A&M's Wendell Mitchell during the second half of Saturday night's game in College Station, Texas. Mitchell scored 18 points for the Aggies, who pushed the Vols after halftime but couldn't keep Tennessee from a program-record 16th straight win.
Tennessee men's basketball coach Rick Barnes argues a call with an official during Saturday night's SEC matchup at Texas A&M.The top-ranked Tennessee men's basketball team earned a program-record 16th straight win by beating Texas A&M 93-76 Saturday night at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.
The Volunteers (20-1, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) moved into sole possession of first place in the conference after 19th-ranked LSU lost at home earlier Saturday, 90-89 to Arkansas.
Texas A&M dropped to 8-12, 1-7.
The Vols are at home for their next three contests, starting with Tuesday's 9 p.m. game against Missouri (11-9, 2-6).
Here's a look at the good, the bad and the verdict from the Vols' win at Texas A&M:
THE GOOD
It was perhaps the Vols' best offensive performance of the season. They shot 64 percent from the field. They had a season-high 28 assists while only turning the ball over eight times. Five players reached double figures in points, led by Grant Williams' 22. Jordan Bone was a maestro at point guard, finishing with 19 points and 10 assists for his third double-double of the season and his fourth game with at least 10 assists. When the Vols started to struggle in the second half, allowing a 9-0 run that cut their lead to 60-58 with 11:45 to play, it was Bone who stepped up, knocking down a 3-pointer at the top of the key that helped settle his team.
THE BAD
Again, poor defense by Tennessee made a game probably more exciting than it should have been. The Vols gave up 12 3-pointers, which was twice Texas A&M's season average and tied a season high allowed by Tennessee. The Vols led 28-9 early and appeared to be running away, but the Aggies responded by getting out in transition and making some easy baskets. The Vols were able to lock in when they needed to, but it seems more likely they were just more talented, ultimately wearing down a Texas A&M team that used only seven players against the fast-paced Vols.
THE VERDICT
Hey, it's a win. It's Tennessee's 16th consecutive. It's a program record, and it would be easy to simply focus on the victory and not worry about anything else. But the Vols again showed some inconsistency on the defensive end of the court, and while the Aggies weren't able to capitalize on that, it's very possible a team down the road will be able to. Texas A&M was an eight-win team that has struggled all season long, and Tennessee was better. But there's still plenty to fix heading into the final month of the regular season.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.