Tennessee basketball extended its winning streak to three games after a 92-57 home victory over the Montana Grizzlies.
Tennessee’s home winning streak in non-conference play now stands at 30 games after defeating the Montana Grizzlies in dominant fashion 92-57. This win vs. Montana also puts Rick Barnes in exclusive possession of second place on the list of Tennessee basketball’s all-time victories, surpassing Don DeVoe.
Again leading in all but one category of the game, Wednesday’s win was a testament to how good this Rick Barnes’ team could potentially be. It was the fourth time in the previous 20 seasons that Tennessee had a 60/40/80 shooting line, all under Barnes. Additionally, the Volunteers’ fast-break point margin was an astounding 20-0.
Having recorded his first double-double of the season for Tennessee and his 12th overall in his collegiate career, Igor Miličić Jr. was at the forefront of the Volunteers’ success. He finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 60% shooting from the field. Coach Rick Barnes attested to Miličić’s successful game as “letting the game come to him and not forcing anything that’s not there.”
For the Grizzlies, standout sophomore guard Money Williams put on a show in front of Tennessee fans. Despite only playing 12 games his freshman year due to injury and struggling in his first 2 games of his sophomore campaign, he finished with a game-high 30 points, with 53% shooting from the field and 57.1% from the three-point line. Williams is the first non-conference visitor to reach that milestone at Food City Center in almost ten years. When asked what led to Williams’ success, head coach Travis DeCuire said, “[Money] is a guy that steps up to the plate when the lights are the brightest.”
Takeaway #1: Slow beginnings
After getting off to a hot start, Tennessee basketball, scoring on its first seven possessions, struggled to put the ball in the basket. From the 15-minute mark to the 8-minute mark, the Volunteers scored only 5 points. The Volunteers weren’t dialed into the game plan, leading to unwarranted turnovers and quick shots. Tennessee got back on track after a layup and a pair of free throws from Igor Miličić Jr.
Coach Barnes and the Volunteers will look to establish game plans further and stick to them to avoid droughts in games against better teams shortly.
Takeaway #2: Sharing the wealth
The victory over Montana was the result of a team effort rather than a single player. 24 of the 31 field goals Tennessee scored came from teammates’ assists.
In the scoring department, four players tallied double digits: senior forward Igor Miličić Jr with a team-high 18, fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, junior forward Felix Okpara, and sophomore guard Cameron Carr — his career high — all with 13, and senior guard Zakai Zeigler with 11. Both sophomore forward J.P. Estrella and senior guard Jahmai Mashack finished with eight points, two points shy of double digits.
As a team, the Volunteers shot 31-51 from the field (60.8%) and 9-21 (42.9%) from behind the arc. This marks the third consecutive game Tennessee has shot above 40% from the three-point line. Rick Barnes’ squad is earning the “3&D” title thus far this year.
Takeaway #3: Getting to the line
Coming into the game, Coach Barnes and the Volunteers knew that free throw shooting was an area that needed to be improved. Before Wednesday’s contest, Tennessee basketball had only been shooting 71.9% from the stripe. Against Montana, the team shot 28 times from the line and made 24 of their attempts leading to a season-high 84.0%.
If the team can continue to draw fouls at this rate and capitalize on their opportunities, they will have more chances to put points on the board and separate themselves from opposing teams.
Tennessee basketball will play their second consecutive home game against Austin Peay on Sunday at 3 p.m., live on SEC Network+ from Food City Center.
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Next up for Tennessee (3-0): vs. Austin Peay (2-0) – Nov. 17 at 3 p.m.
Next Up for Montana (2-2): at Utah State (3-0) – Nov. 18 at 9 p.m.