No. 21 Tennessee didn’t just beat Texas; it ran past it 85-71 for its first conference win of the season.
Despite ranking 216th nationally in adjusted tempo, the Vols played faster than usual, cashing in transition chances and turning stops into easy offense (24 fast-break points). Freshmen Amari Evans and DeWayne Brown continued to earn Rick Barnes’ trust, while five-star Nate Ament remains a work in progress as he adjusts to the collegiate level’s physicality.
Here are three takeaways from the Vols’ bounce-back win.
Pace Pays Off
Tennessee’s halfcourt offense has bogged down at times against top-tier opponents, so the Vols leaned into a different solution against Texas: push the pace. Tennessee scored its first eight points in transition to grab an early lead. The Vols repeatedly turned defense into offense off live-ball turnovers and defensive rebounds. The result was 24 fast-break points, tying Tennessee’s season high that was set against Arkansas.
No one looked more at home in that style than Ja’Kobi Gillespie. The senior finished with a career-high 34 points, with 10 coming on the break. His best moment came at the 10:28 mark of the first half, when he secured the rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup. That burst seemed to settle him in, and it didn’t take long for the confidence to carry over to the perimeter. He later buried a logo three that showed how comfortable he was playing in rhythm.
Rookies Rise
Two freshmen continue to carve out bigger roles in Rick Barnes’ rotation, and both flashed why their minutes are trending up. Amari Evans again made his impact with effort plays, finishing with three steals, a block and three rebounds. One of his biggest moments came just before halftime, when he scored on a putback to end the half and send the Vols into the break up 48–33.
Barnes also handed DeWayne Brown his fifth straight start, and the freshman delivered one of his most complete performances of the season. Brown scored in a variety of ways, starting with an off-ball cut through the lane that ended in a powerful finish at the rim. The forward also finished an and-one bucket off a pick-and-roll early in the second half. He totaled 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting. If this duo keeps trending up, Tennessee’s depth starts to look like a real advantage.
Turnovers and Tentativeness
The “wow” moment still hasn’t arrived for Nate Ament, and Tennessee fans are still waiting for the five-star freshman to look fully comfortable at this level. The physicality continues to give him trouble, and his confidence from the perimeter appears to be wavering. Ament hasn’t knocked down a three-pointer in his last three games, and at times, he looks hesitant when he catches on the outside.
The flashes are still there, though. With 17:38 left in the first half, Ament rotated over for a help-side block on Matas Vokietaitis, then pushed the ball the other way and drew contact for free throws. He also finished a tough and-one bucket from the elbow with 9:13 left in the game. His inconsistency shows up in the details. The 6-foot-10 wing was loose with the ball, turning it over five times, including a pickpocket and a few passes that weren’t strong enough through traffic. Tennessee’s ceiling rises significantly if Ament can tighten his handle, play through contact and discover his shooting rhythm from deep.
Pace and depth carried Tennessee past Texas. The next step is getting Nate Ament to match it.
