MIKE STRANGE

Mike Strange: Tennessee matches last season's 15 wins

Mike Strange
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

The first talking point in Rick Barnes' post-game media session was Robert Hubbs III's new cornrows hairstyle. That alone tells you Saturday went well for Tennessee basketball.

Tennessee's Kyle Alexander (11) reacts as Missouri's K.J. Walton (11) attempts to grab the ball from him during a game between Missouri and Tennessee in Thompson-Boling arena Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017.

It sure went better than Tuesday night, a lot better.

The Vols bounced back from a 25-point spanking at Kentucky on Tuesday with a 90-70 romp past Missouri at Thompson-Boling Arena.

See Box score.

On a personal level, the newly-cornrowed Hubbs recovered from what almost amounted to a no-show in Lexington to put up 21 points and eight rebounds on the Tigers.

The wildly differing results speak in part to the SEC schedule. The difficulty factor between going to Rupp Arena and playing Missouri at home is, in 2016-17, about the greatest disparity possible.

Still, give Tennessee some credit, too. There were several things to like Saturday.

"The impressive thing about Tennessee,'' Missouri coach Kim Anderson said, "is how hard they play.''

And for the most part Saturday, how effectively. Grant Williams scored 25 points, another case for his SEC All-Freshman resume. Admiral Schofield scored 17 points for the second time this week. Shembari Phillips, playing 28 minutes due to Jordan Bowden being under the weather, contributed 10 points — the most since playing Texas A&M way back in the SEC opener. The Vols made eight 3-point shots, their second most in league play.

The upshot is that Tennessee sits 15-12, 7-7 SEC. The Vols have matched last year's overall win total and surpassed last year's SEC wins (six) and still have four regular-season opportunities left before the SEC tournament. On this date a year ago, the Vols were 12-14.

Barring a total washout, Tennessee has at least six games left when you add at least one more in a bracket-to-be-determined beyond the SEC tournament. Probably the NIT, but the Big Dance is not off the board yet.

Barnes' first Tennessee team went 15-19. Then it lost three senior starters, including on- and off-court leaders Kevin Punter Jr. and Armani Moore. No wonder the Vols were picked to finish 13th – ahead of only Missouri – in the SEC preseason poll.

Barnes' second team starts three freshmen, and it might have been four had John Fulkerson not suffered a season-ending injury in December.

And yet from October on he has said this team is better. And he's right.

Barnes claims not to keep up with his team's record or the SEC standings, so he wasn't going to hang a banner for the 15th win Saturday.

"If we were more concerned about wins,'' he said, "I don’t think we would have scheduled the way we did. I do know we’re a better basketball team right now than we were a year ago. At the end of the year I’ll say the same thing.

"I'd like to think we’re going to win some more games. But we’re going to have to work hard to do it.''

Had this team been able to protect leads, even double-digit ones, it would have several more wins than 15. Chalk up that as a classic growing pain. So while losses like the one to Georgia a week ago are as frustrating to fans as they are to Barnes, they come with the territory of relying on freshmen.

This team, on the whole, remains a pleasant surprise. Some (blush) saw this season as having the potential to go south, even deep south, the way Missouri's has. (The Tigers have won only two league games.)

Even the fact of having expectations in February surpasses expectations. The goal, of course, at a place like Tennessee is to have expectations every year. One NCAA tournament appearance in the past five seasons isn't enough.

For now, though, wherever the Vols can go beyond 15 wins is playing with house money.

Mike Strange may be reached at mike.strange@knoxnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at Strangemike44.

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