No. 9 Tennessee hammers Vanderbilt 88-53 to complete season sweep
Zakai Zeigler hit the 3-point shot from the wing as No. 9 Tennessee’s offense continued its all out assault of Vanderbilt Saturday night. Under the rim, as the shot was going in, the Commodores were called for a foul away from the ball.
Off the inbound that followed, Jonas Aidoo got open for a two-hand dunk to finish a five-point possession. Meanwhile, Vandy had just eight points of its own and trailed by 27.
If there was a sequence that summed up the crime scene at Thompson-Boling Arena, it was that one.
Tennessee shot 52.6 percent from the field in the first half, made eight 3-pointers, assisted on 16 of 20 made shots and scored 27 points off 13 Vanderbilt turnover to lead by 31 points … at halftime.
The Vols didn’t slow down in the second half, either, leading by as many as 41 points in an 88-53 beat down to finish the season sweep of the Commodores.
Dalton Knecht and Zakai Zeigler both finished with 14 points and five assists to lead Tennessee (19-6, 9-3 SEC). Josiah-Jordan James had 13 points and seven rebounds and Santiago Vescovi had 12 points, going 4-for-5 from the 3-point line, to go with five assists.
Vanderbilt (7-18, 2-10) got 10 points and six rebounds from Ven-Allen Lubin.
The Vols were up 73-32 with 11:27 left in the second half, threatening to break the record for the biggest margin of victory in the series (38). Tennessee set a new season-high with 14 3-pointers and assists, with 28 on 33 made shots.
The 31-point lead at halftime was Tennessee’s second biggest lead at the break in an SEC game in at least 28 seasons, behind only a 32-point lead the Vols had over LSU in January 1999.
Tennessee started the game a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including 3-for-3 from the 3-point line, building a 13-3 lead out of the gate. It was a 23-7 lead by the second media timeout and a 30-8 lead by the third media timeout. Rick Barnes took a timeout with 3:58 left in the half, with his team up 38-12, after he was unhappy with a defensive possession.
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Major College Football Playoff implications
Vols currently a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament
The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee on Saturday afternoon released its current top-16 seeds during the NCAA March Madness Bracket Preview show on CBS. The Vols came in as the No. 6 overall seed and the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region, paired with Purdue, the No. 1 overall seed.
Joining the Vols and Purdue in the Midwest was No. 3 Baylor, the No. 10 overall seed, and No. 4 San Diego State, the No. 14 overall seed.
Tennessee entered Saturday night’s game at No. 7 in the NET. The Vols have a 4-5 Quad 1 record, are 6-1 in Quad 2 games and a combined 8-0 in Quad 2 and Quad 3 games.
Up Next: No. 9 Tennessee at Missouri, Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network
The win over Vanderbilt was the start of three home dates over Tennessee’s next four games. The Vols go to Missouri on Tuesday and then return home to host Texas A&M on Saturday and Auburn on February 28.
The tests continue in March with back-to-back road games at Alabama (March 2) and South Carolina (March 6) before closing the regular season at home against Kentucky on Senior Day in Knoxville (March 9).
The SEC Tournament is set for March 13-17 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and the NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on Sunday, March 17.
