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Four quick thoughts after Vols drop K-State

Tennessee (12-9, 4-4) just took it to Kansas State (15-6, 4-4), dropping the Wildcats 70-58. Here are four quick thoughts on a nice out of conference win for Rick Barnes and his team.

1 — No Kentucky hangover — This team has shown that it’s susceptible to the occasional let down after a solid performance and Tuesday’s 82-80 win over Kentucky certainly qualified as a solid performance.

That was not a problem today. Tennessee was on point from the start of this one on both ends of the floor.

Kansas State looked like it came out a little flat and Tennessee took advantage of that lethargy by laying the smack down in the first half on the way to building a 39-22 halftime lead.

The Vols were sharp on both ends of the floor but were particularly impressive on defense in the first half. Kansas State is typically a very efficient offensive team but Tennessee got into them to start the game and made it tough for them to do anything they wanted.

Kansas State shot just 36%, including 0-for-6 from three-point range. Meanwhile, Tennessee, even with leading scorer Robert Hubbs off to a slow start, shot 50% in the first half in building a lead they would never surrender.

The Vols also followed Barnes’ script by taking care of the basketball with only five first half turnovers while handing out 10 assists.

It was a strong statement to start the game from a team that simply hasn’t always been able to stack one good performance on top of another. They cleared that hurdle today and look like a squad on the rise.

2 — Look at that board work — Tennessee’s first half offense was impressive, something that 50% shooting average certainly highlights. The Vols helped themselves though by grabbing nine offensive rebounds in the first half alone, turning those into 13 second chance points.

This team’s ability to bang on the boards has been one of the more pleasant surprises of a team that is almost always undersized every time out. That was one of the more stunning aspects (to me) of the Kentucky win and it was certainly the case today against Kansas State.

The Vols won the battle on the boards handily 43-29 and took advantage of second chance opportunities all day long, collecting 16 on the offensive end alone.

Kyle Alexander was the lynchpin in the Vols’ rebounding efforts today and that’s something you just don’t say every day. The sophomore gave this team what the staff has been dying to see from him with nine rebounds.

That was a pretty stunning turn of events from Alexander who played just three minutes against Kentucky on Tuesday.

3 — Branching out — After torching Kentucky for 25 points in what might have been the finest performance of his career Robert Hubbs was largely taken out of the game for much of the day.

Normally, that would be cause for great concern for the Vols. It wasn’t on this day though.

Hubbs didn’t get his first points until just 3:42 remained in the first half and by then the Vols where on top 30-20.

That’s a strong development for this squad. Earlier in the year the Vols were in a spot as a team where if Hubbs didn’t deliver something in the neighborhood of 15-17 points they were probably going to be in for a long night.

Hubbs got it going later, finishing with 10 points, but this team showed that it’s grown to the point where they don’t have to lean him nearly as heavily as they did earlier in the season.

These days though Grant Williams has developed into the kind of player that his team can lean on, which is something probably no one outside of the coaching staff (maybe) and Williams himself saw coming this season.

Jordan Bowden also bounced back from a tough night against Kentucky to pop in 13 points and Lew Evans tied his Tennessee career high with nine points, a total that included his fifth three-pointer of the season.

4 — Keep it simple — Barnes has been harping on a couple of consistent themes since the start of the season; take care of the basketball and rebound.

Lately, it seems that his team is really taking that to heart. During this current three game win streak (Mississippi State, Kentucky and Kansas State) the Vols have out rebounded their opponents 131-104.

Similarly, the Vols have dished out 54 assists against just 29 turnovers. That is some seriously stepped up play in both those areas compared to where this team was at earlier in the season.

It was noteworthy today that on a day when he didn’t shoot the ball well (2-of-8), Jordan Bone handed out five assists. That suggests that he’s really making some strides in running the offense and getting teammates involved without letting his own offense affect his approach.

That’s a tough deal for a young player sometimes and it’s a valuable lesson for Bone to learn if this team is going to continue to play at the level we’ve seen in the last three games.

The same is true for Lamonte Turner. He handed out five assists of his own and has really made some noticeable progress as a playmaker as the season has worn on.

Those two, playing as they are now, give the Vols a pair of solid ball handlers that they can put on the floor together if need be.

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