Knoxville, TN – The Tennessee men’s basketball team’s defense was superb, leading the 13th-ranked Volunteers past UNC Greensboro, 76-36, Saturday afternoon. It was the fewest points the Vols have allowed in Thompson-Boling Arena and fewest since the 1983 season opener when it held Ohio Northern to 33.
The Vols (7-2), forced 25 turnovers, tied a season-high with 13 steals, and held the Spartans to 14-of-38 (.368) shooting. The fewest field goals made and attempted by an opponent all season.
Santiago Vescovi was the third Vol to finish in double-figures with 10 points. He tied career-highs in both assists (8) and steals (4), both were his best this year.
Tennessee jumped out of the gate, draining 3-of-4 from beyond the arc to start the game. The Vols separated themselves from UNCG with seven and a half minutes in the period, going on a 13-0 run, lasting 4:04. UT was 5-of-7 from the floor, with five different individuals logging a bucket during that span.
Tennessee’s strong four-game span of defense continued back in the friendly confines of Rocky Top. The Vols held the Spartans to 7-of-21 (.333) shooting from the field and 1-of-9 (.111) on 3-pointers. John Fulkerson was stingy around the rim, swatting away three UNCG shots. Vescovi was also strong on the defensive end, snagging three steals in the half.
The second half was all UT. The Big Orange shot 16-of-32 (.500) and opened up a 19-0 run lasting from 12:32 to 4:39 (seven minutes, 53 seconds). UNCG attempted only 17 field goals, UT forced the Spartans to turn the ball over 12 times. James led the offense in scoring, drilling 3-of-4 (.750) from trey.
Lockdown First Half Defense
Over the course of the past four games, Tennessee is allowing just 22.3 points per game in the first half. The Vols held UNC Greensboro to 15 points on 7-for-21 shooting during Saturday’s opening period—the fewest first-half points by any Tennessee opponent this season.
Bounce Back Shooting
After shooting just 6-for-39 from 3-point range in Tuesday’s overtime loss, Tennessee surpassed that made 3-pointer total by the 2:24 mark of the first half. The Vols shot 13-for-35 (.371) from behind the arc in Saturday’s win.
Vols Creating More Takeaways
With a season-high-tying 13 steals on Saturday, Tennessee recorded its fifth game of 10 or more steals this season—matching the season-long total from the 2020-21 season. The Vols forced turnovers on 40.8% of UNCG possessions. That’s a UNCG program record and the third-highest ever forced by Tennessee since TO% began being tracked in 2001-02.
Historic D
Tennessee held UNCG to 0.587 PPP, the Spartans’ second-lowest offensive efficiency in the last 21 seasons. This is also Tennessee’s fourth-lowest defensive efficiency in the same time span.
Leading The Charge
This is the first NCAA Division I game in the 2021-22 season where one team had 7 or fewer turnovers while their opponent had 25 or more.
Next Up For Tennessee Vols Basketball
The Tennessee men’s basketball team is back in Thompson-Boling Arena Tuesday night for a battle with USC Upstate. Tip-off is at 7:00pm on SEC Network+, tickets are available on AllVols.com.
Box Score
UNC Greensboro 36, Tennessee 76
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
| UNC Greensboro | 15 | 21 | 36 |
| Tennessee | 33 | 43 | 76 |
