I don’t know if it was a regression (progression...?) to the mean, the friendly confines of Thompson-Boling Arena or just a better shooting night, but the Vols rode a 50-percent, first-half three-point shooting mark to a 31-point victory on Wednesday night against Florida Gulf Coast.
Tennessee Head Coach Rick Barnes switched up the starting lineup for tonight’s affair, and the Vols tipped off with Tyreke Key, Santiago Vescovi, Julian Phillips, Josiah-Jordan James and Oliver Nkamhoua on the floor.
James hit the Vols’ first shot of the game, and then Santi got right with two-straight unassisted 3s. Both Nkamhoua and Phillips got involved with a pair of free throws around the 13-minute mark, then James hit a pair of his own before Nkamhoua drilled a wide-open look from deep that gave the Vols a 18-9 lead about halfway through the first half.