After a difficult non-conference schedule filled with intrusive opponents, it was reasonable to be concerned about Tennessee’s performance against their first-ranked team in almost a month as they began league action against Ole Miss tonight. They were, to put it mildly, dominant. To be honest with you, it didn’t feel that close as Tennessee defeated the Rebels 90-64, led by ridiculous efforts from Jonas Aidoo and Zakai Zeigler.
In addition to Zeigler’s 17 points and 10 assists and Aidoo’s 24 points and 10 rebounds, Santiago Vescovi scored 11 points for Tennessee on 37.5 percent shooting from outside the arc.
The fact that Tennessee was able to dominate the glass so easily is the true lesson to be learned from this game. Even with two seven-footers who played longer than fifteen minutes, Ole Miss’ rebounding totals were almost doubled by the Vols (47–24). With a total of 20—yes, twenty—offensive rebounds that resulted in 19 second-chance points, Tennessee’s relentlessness on the offensive glass was what truly stood out.
Tennessee jumped out to an 18-6 lead early in the game, but live-ball errors and a lack of open three-point shooting opportunities caused the lead to gradually evaporate. Jahmai Mashack, of all players, was the one who, late in the first half, allowed Tennessee to stay ahead on the scoreboard by making two three-pointers. The Vols led 40–31 at the half.
One of Tennessee’s better all-around performances in a long time occurred in the second half, actually. Dalton Knecht set up a play to start the half, and the excellent transfer was sent straight to the free throw line. For the remainder of the game, Ole Miss would not come any closer than when Knecht made one free throw to increase the advantage to ten.
Jaemyn Brakefield, a senior forward, led Ole Miss tonight with 22 points on a remarkable 87% shooting from the field. Three Rebels players scored in double figures at the end of the match.
Despite getting a few minutes, Dalton Knecht managed to score eight points on fifty percent shooting, partly because of foul trouble and partly so he could rest his ankle. Josiah Jordan-James finished with eight points, eight rebounds, and four assists tonight, packing the stat sheet once more. In his first season for Tennessee, the fifth-year volunteer is still performing at a high level.
It’s reasonable to anticipate that the Vols will solidly remain in the Top 5 of the AP poll the following week after their convincing victory against Ole Miss. Next up, on Wednesday, January 10, Tennessee will travel to Starkville to play a different Mississippi squad. Tennessee aims to pick up their first conference road victory, while the Bulldogs will try to recover from today’s setback to South Carolina.
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