There’s a reason Tennessee was predicted by many to be a contender for the national crown.
With an army of scoring threats and the top-ranked defense in the SEC, the Vols are one of those squads where the slightest mistake can mean disaster.
Unfortunately for No. 23 Georgia, that’s a lesson the Bulldogs learned the hard way as the No. 6 Vols used a 19-3 run to start the second half to cruise to a 74-56 win.
The loss drops Georgia to 14-3, 2-2 in the SEC. Tennessee – ranked No. 1 for five straight weeks - improves to 16-1 and 3-1 in league play.
“The first 20 and then early second half, we were just different defensively,” head coach Mike White said. “And then we found ourselves in a hole there pretty quickly. After that, we got a little bit stagnant offensively.”
That much was obvious.
Georgia’s struggles on the offensive glass, typically a Bulldog strength, were also evident.
Tennessee dominated the offensive boards 18-11. The Bulldogs also allowed the Vols 13 extra shots thanks to 19 turnovers.
The Vols shot 57 percent in the second half after shooting 27 percent in the first.
“Whether it was first half or early second half, we did a poor job blocking them out and didn't match their intensity on the glass,” White said. “Eighteen offensive rebounds. Those two stats there, 18 and 19, I think really tell you what happened out there.”
White will spend time finding a solution for that disparity.
“We've got to evaluate it. We've got to discuss it as a staff and figure out how we can avoid that, or at least try to avoid it,” White said. “At the end of the day, though, it's a top 10 team at home, and they probably weren't quite as sharp there in the first 20.”
Georgia would scratch back within 12 points with just over 11 minutes left but were unable to draw closer. A three-point attempt by Silas Demary Jr. that would have put the Bulldogs back under double-digits clanked off the rim.
Asa Newell led Georgia with 13 points, followed by Demary Jr. with 12.
The Bulldogs held SEC leading scorer Chaz Lanier to a season-low 5. But the Vols didn’t flinch, getting 19 from Jordan Gainey, one of four Tennessee players to finish in double-figures.
If you liked defense, the first half was for you.
Ranked 1st and 3rd in the SEC in field goal defense, both teams had to work for every point.
The result was Georgia going into the locker room with a 26-25 lead, thanks to holding the Vols to just 27.3 percent from the field (9 of 33).
Lanier – who was averaging 19 points coming in – missed his first seven shots (1 for 9 in the half) before finally getting one to fall just before half.
But he wasn’t the only one struggling.
Phillips was the only Vol to score more than one basket.
But Georgia had problems of its own.
The Bulldogs have been one of the conference’s strongest offensive-rebounding teams but found Tennessee with a 12-6 advantage. Georgia also committed nine turnovers.
It doesn’t get any easier for the Bulldogs.
On Saturday, Georgia entertains No. 1 Auburn before hitting the road again next week to play Arkansas.
“Yeah, we'll be ready. Our guys will be ready to compete, and our guys will be prepared,” White said. "It's going to be a battle, of course. We look forward to Stegman rocking and giving Auburn our best shot. We got to flush this one as soon as possible.”
