Some suggested that Tennessee needed to beat No. 3 Pittsburgh to prove they were a good team. On Saturday, the Volunteers proved they are a very good team.
Despite the assertions of pundits who believed the Vols needed this win to validate how good this team is, Tennessee has already proven that when they defeated No. 7 Villanova.
But beating the Panthers 83-76 in a game the Vols led at one time by 21 points, nothing the procrastinators say now will matter.
Tennessee pushed their record to 7-0 and have victories over two top 10 teams. That’s not bad for a squad that was picked to finish fourth in the SEC East.
The Volunteers pushed the Panthers around and prevented them from playing their usual plodding style that they use to their advantage.
Tennessee’s depth and athleticism were a significant reason why the Vols won the game, but their toughness was the deciding factor.
Hopson was nearly flawless in scoring 27 points to lead the Volunteers. He hit 10 of 13 shots, including all three of his 3-pointer’s, and was four of five from the foul line.
He got help from Melvin Goins and Cameron Tatum, who tossed in 19 and 14 points respectively. The Vols were 27 of 48 (56.3%) from the field, including 7 of 11 (63.6%) from 3-point range.
The Volunteers now have two wins against teams that were picked to finish first and second in the Big East this season.
And Tennessee got both of those wins away from home, defeating Villanova at Madison Square Garden and Pittsburgh on their home court.
There’s plenty of basketball yet to be played, but anyone that doubted whether Tennessee had a good team can cast those thoughts aside.
The Vols are a very good team that will have to be reckoned with for the rest of the season, and anyone that thinks otherwise is going to learn a painful lesson.
