Without guards Tyreke Key and Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee probably knew it was in for a struggle to beat the Bulldogs on their home court. And in the first half — it looked like there might have been a carryover from Tennessee’s recent loss to Kentucky that would reinforce that notion.
But with 40 minutes from Zakai Ziegler, 38 from Julian Phillips and 36 from Josiah-Jordan James — and a combined 55 points — the Vols escaped Starkville with a 70-59 win.
The game really was a tale of two halves: The Vols turned it over 11 times in the first half and just six times in the second.