LAS VEGAS – Tennessee’s first true test came in its second game at the Players Era Festival, and Houston once again proved a thorn in the Vols’ side with its physicality.
Tennessee got its revenge against Houston in the Player’s Era Men’s Championship.
A year after the Cougars ended the Vols’ NCAA Tournament run with a 69–50 Elite Eight win. Tennessee flipped the script Tuesday night, upsetting No. 3 Houston.
Rick Barnes and Tennessee made the right adjustments to remain undefeated with a 76-73 victory.
While Nate Ament and Ja’Kobe Gillespie struggled to play at their highest level, Bishop Boswell put together his most complete performance to help deliver a massive resume booster.
Three takeaways from Tennessee’s biggest win of the season:
Barnes’ Adjustment Breaks Cougars
Rick Barnes and his staff made a slight defensive adjustment at halftime.
Tennessee’s guards began digging down to help the bigs on post-ups, and Barnes switched Kingston Flemings’ primary defender. Gillespie opened on the star freshman, but Barnes went to Boswell after the break.
The tweak changed the game.
Flemings had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first half. He had to work much harder for his touches in the second, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting after halftime.
The Cougars as a whole did not look as sharp against Tennessee’s defense. Houston shot 8 percentage points worse from the field in the second half and went 8:05 without a field goal.
Boswell Brings Backbone to Vols’ Defense
While some of his teammates struggled, Boswell thrived in the hostile environment.
The sophomore showed he can match Houston’s physicality by blowing up screens and causing havoc.
Boswell sparked the offense with his defense. His block on Emmanuel Sharp turned into a putback on the other end. He finished with three steals and two blocks, along with a career-high 10 points, including six in transition off steals.
Boswell showed he can shine on the big stage. If the Vols can turn Ament and Gillespie’s off night into growth while keeping Boswell active and committed on defense, this trip to Las Vegas will read as a turning point rather than just a neutral-site win. Houston again tested Tennessee’s toughness, and this time the Vols had enough answers.
Physical Play Pesters Ament, Gillespie
Ament and Gillespie faced their first true test of physical play in Orange and White this season, and both guards struggled to get going.
Ament could not find his usual touch on the tough midrange jumpers he has relied on this season. He entered the game shooting 61% from midrange. Against Houston he finished 1-for-8 from the field with nine points, most of them coming at the free throw line.
Gillespie has experience against physical teams from his time in the Big Ten. However, he never fully settled in against the Cougars. Offensively, he struggled with Houston’s switching and blitzing screen defense. Although he didn’t commit a turnover, he couldn’t convert, going 5-for-16 from the field and 3-for-9 from 3-point range.
Defensively, Gillespie could not slow Flemings, who beat him off the dribble for multiple layups. Even so, Gillespie hit some massive shots down the stretch, including a 3 off a Felix Okpara pindown and the final four free throws to seal the game.
