Tennessee faced a different style on Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena, but they reached a similar result. The Volunteers handled Eastern Kentucky’s aggressive, trapping, tempo-based system with ease, firmly separating themselves quickly in the second half.
A slow start from Tennessee was quickly overcome, even without the services of senior guard Santiago Vescovi. Vescovi, who is dealing with a shoulder sprain, missed his second straight game.
Once again, Rick Barnes turned to Jahmai Mashack to start in his place. Eastern Kentucky jumped out to a 5-0 lead, and it took the Tennessee offense about ten minutes to find its footing.