All grown up: Mature Vols wrecking SEC in early going

Tennessee forward Grant Williams (2) and guard Jordan Bone (0) celebrate after guard Admiral Schofield (5) made a 3-point shot against Florida in the final minute of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Stamey)
Tennessee forward Grant Williams (2) and guard Jordan Bone (0) celebrate after guard Admiral Schofield (5) made a 3-point shot against Florida in the final minute of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Stamey)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Tennessee has many of the same players for tonight's home game against the University of Arkansas basketball team as the Vols did the last time the teams played in Thompson-Boling Arena two years ago.

But there is no comparison to the Tennessee team that will take the court tonight against the Razorbacks and the one the Razorbacks beat 82-78 on Jan. 3, 2017.

"It's a totally different team," Vols Coach Rick Barnes said. "This team is different in the fact we now have some experience. We've got some guys who have played everybody, home and away.

"We've still got work to do, just like every team in the country. We understand that we're just getting started."

Tennessee (14-1, 3-0 SEC) is off to its best start since the 2007-08 season when the Vols opened 16-1, earned a No. 1 ranking and finished 31-5 with a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

"I think they're playing as good as anyone in the country right now," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said.

Four of the No. 3-ranked Vols' starters this season -- junior forward Grant Williams, senior guard Admiral Schofield, junior guard Jordan Bone and senior forward Kyle Alexander -- played against Arkansas two years ago, as did junior guards Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner.

The Razorbacks don't have any players on their roster who played against Tennessee two years ago.

"It's a tremendous challenge, but it's a great opportunity for us to go out and to get better," Anderson said. "We're going to be playing probably one of the more experienced teams with one of the most inexperienced teams.

"We'll get a few more questions answered about our basketball team."

Tennessee's only loss is to No. 7 Kansas 87-81 in overtime in New York. The Vols have neutral site victories over No. 5 Gonzaga 76-73 and Louisville 92-81, along with road victories over Memphis 102-92, Missouri 87-63 and Florida 78-67.

"I think Tennessee's good at everything," Florida Coach Mike White said. "I don't think they have any weaknesses. I think they have a chance to win a national championship.

"They're experienced, tough both mentally and physically. They execute."

The Vols lead the SEC in field goal shooting at 51.5 percent and in field goal defense at 37.2 percent.

"I don't know what they're not good at," White said. "They've got depth, they're physical, they're quick, they're fast. They guard you."

Tennessee leads the SEC in scoring margin at 20.7 points, highlighted by a 96-50 victory over Georgia in the Vols' last home game.

"Incredible physical strength and speed to go with a tremendous mental toughness," Georgia Coach Tom Crean said of the Vols. "There's a togetherness ... with them.

"They support each other. Their help defense is tremendous."

Williams, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, and Schofield are the SEC's top two scorers at 18.9 and 17.7 points respectively, but Crean said the 6-11 Alexander is the key to their team.

"He doesn't get a ton of the attention, but he creates so much havoc defensively with the way that he pressures the ball, the way that he handles the pick-and-roll," Crean said. "He allows Grant Williams to play the way that he needs to play. He helps support the guards in their pressure.

"There's a lot of athletes around the country, there's a lot of skilled players around the country, there's a lot of lengthy players around the country. But when you combine the talent, the tenacity, the aggressiveness that [Alexander] has, it makes a huge difference for their team. It allows them to be even better because of it."

The Vols are 40-10 since the start of the 2017-18 season. They were 15-19 and 16-16 in Barnes' first two seasons as their coach after his 17-year run at Texas, which included 16 NCAA Tournament appearances. They were 26-9 last season and shared the SEC regular-season title with Auburn. The Vols lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Loyola-Chicago 63-62.

"You can't teach experience. It's a process you've got to go through, and those guys went through it," Anderson said. "They took some lumps early on in those years, but we saw the process -- the maturity -- take place."

Sophomore forward Daniel Gafford is the only returning starter for Arkansas, which has eight newcomers. The Razorbacks (10-5, 1-2) lost twice at home last week against Florida 57-51 and LSU 94-88 in overtime.

"We're at the stage right now with a lot of young guys, and so they have to go through the process," Anderson said. "Sometimes there are some hard knocks, some tough losses."

Kentucky Coach John Calipari and Barnes have been friends for 30 years.

"Rick's teams have always played the right way," Calipari said. "But here's what you've got when you have a veteran team like that -- a team that he's coached over a period of time. There are points in the game that they're empowered, that he's letting them understand and work through things.

"They don't beat themselves. So if you're going to beat Tennessee, you must beat them. They're not going to give you a game. That's what he's built there."

Barnes, asked to name his team's top strength, said balance. Tennessee has six players averaging at least 9.5 points, and eight averaging between 7.9 and 2.7 rebounds.

"We feel we obviously have two guys who get a great deal of attention in Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams," Barnes said. "But we've got more than that. We appreciate the depth and production we're getting from our bench.

"Jordan Bowden is coming off the bench, even though I would consider him a starter. I would consider Lamonte Turner a starter."

The Vols have beaten their first three SEC opponents by an average of 27.0 points, but Barnes said they have plenty to work on and need to be careful about listening to the praise being showered on them.

"Our guys aren't perfect in any stretch of the imagination," he said. "We go in after every game and we take that film apart. We show them the good, the bad and the ugly.

"We know we have to keep getting better. I can't keep them from what they read and see. All we can control is what we do every day in practice and when we're around them. I can just tell you it's a long, long way to go. We have to get better as a team and as individuals. We have to keep building."

Sports on 01/15/2019

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