For a Tennessee team that has been working toward consistency, Wednesday night’s win over Oklahoma offered a clear example of growth.
When the Sooners cut the lead to seven with 6:52 remaining in the second half, it was a familiar situation. Tennessee has seen leads shrink before, just look to their two meetings against Kentucky this season.
This time, the response was steadier.
Instead of forcing shots or speeding up, the Vols executed. Tennessee made all but two of its shot attempts over the final 7:41 and extended the lead to 23 points, its largest margin of the game, by the final horn.
The difference started with ball security.
“We’ve been talking about taking care of the ball all year,” Rick Barnes said after Tennessee committed just seven turnovers, its second-lowest total of the season. “It was a critical thing that we’ve been talking about all year.”
Oklahoma entered the game thriving off turnovers and transition opportunities. Tennessee limited both, finishing with seven giveaways and consistently getting organized offensively down the stretch.
The communication was also noticeable.
“I just feel like we were talking a lot more in the huddles,” Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “When they came back in the second half like with seven minutes left, we usually let them keep coming back and it’s a close game, but tonight we were able to put our foot back on the gas and grow the lead more.”
Rather than allowing the game to tighten further, Tennessee settled in. Nate Ament, who finished with 29 points, made several key reads when Oklahoma began adjusting to him.
“When you get going and you’re making shots and stuff like that, the defense is going to have to adjust,” Ament said. “I can see over them, and when someone’s open, I just got to find the open man.”
Barnes said that evolution has developed over the past month.
“That is him seeing the game in a totally different way than he did a month and a half ago,” Barnes said of Ament.
Gillespie’s control at the point was equally important.
He finished with eight assists, one turnover, and eight steals, balancing aggression with patience. His ability to slow down and read situations has been part of Tennessee’s recent progress.
“I feel like just slowing down, trying to read the game more,” Gillespie said. “Just reading the game.”
Down the stretch, Tennessee defended without fouling, executed against different coverages, and created quality looks rather than settling. What had been a seven-point game became a 23-point margin by the end.
“It’s what we envisioned,” Barnes said.
On a night when Oklahoma challenged them in the second half, Tennessee responded with composure and finished the game on its terms.
