How Tennessee freshmen finished Vanderbilt win ‘the right way’

One of two freshmen on the floor in a game that was well out of reach with just over eight minutes left, Cameron Carr stood open on the wing. He gathered in a pass from Aidoo and fired off a 3-pointer that fell through to swell Tennessee's lead to 34 points over Vanderbilt.

On a night where the No. 8 Vols' starting five all finished in double-scoring figures, it was the freshmen that made the most of their minutes in the second half of a 88-53 thumping of the Commodores at Food City Center on Saturday.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.

ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.

Carr was the headliner, scoring a career-high 8 points and recording a steal and an assist in his 13 minutes on the floor.

The performance was a confidence-builder for Carr, who has at times looked both every bit the part of a newcomer trying to gain his footing in the SEC and a potential asset off of the bench.

He showed a little bit of both against Vanderbilt, but it was undoubtedly his best outing since arriving in Knoxville.

"After that first (shot) went in, it was like a big sigh of relief that left my body," Carr said.

Carr's biggest strides have come in practice where Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said Saturday the freshmen have "close up" the gap. According to Carr, going toe-to-toe with the Vols' veterans has given him no choice but to get better.

"The hardest thing is going against those dudes everyday because they know what it looks like to play hard and do a good job and being very efficient at it," Carr said. "So competing everyday definitely has helped our freshmen class take large steps forward. The biggest thing is just following in their footsteps and keeping up with them, because as the season goes along, their game is going to rise, we have to keep up with them. I think we're doing a pretty good job of that."

Though Carr's stats jumped off the box score among the three freshmen that played, guard Freddie Dilione V and forward Cade Phillips were effective as well.

Dilione nabbed a rebound, tallied two assists and had one steal. His lone score was a transition dunk that put the exclamation point on Tennessee's second-most lopsided win over Vanderbilt in program history.

Phillips tied for third on the team in rebounds with three while adding two more assists to the Vols' 28 team assist total, which was the most in nearly a year.

“I’m just really proud of the fact that (the freshmen) played the game. They really truly tried to play the game the right way when they were out there," Barnes said. "It wasn’t coming in, nothing like garbage time, that they understand they were valuable minutes. And what they’re learning is it’s a game of trust and they want us to trust them as a coaching staff. It starts in practice, but when you get minutes in the game, you’re not out there trying to show things you can’t do. You’re trying to show the things you can do.”

"Honestly, just being engaged going down the stretch," Carr added. "Basically, continuing what we started once we got into the second half. Let's just continue following what the older guys do and try to be our best."

Barnes hasn't been afforded many opportunities to give his freshmen the kind of minutes they played against Vanderbilt.

That lull between playing time can be difficult for a young player that goes from starring in high school to spending long stretches of a season watching from the bench. That's why the engagement that Carr mentioned is paramount in their development.

"(The freshmen) have definitely done a great job," fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi said. "Just staying engaged, I think is one of the biggest things...You know how hard it is sometimes when you stay off the court for a long time. Coming back on the court, it can be hard just to get a rhythm. I think the guys are doing a great job, like Freddie (Dilione) Cam (Carr), all the guys that haven't played lately. They're doing a great job of just letting the offense get to them, playing the right way, staying engaged on defense.

That goes a long way, especially with coach (Barnes). That's all he wants to see out of those guys. Play hard, let their offense come to them. They're just doing a great job with it."

The extra rest for the first time in more than a month for Tennessee's starters, helps too.

The Vols, who remain in the thick of the SEC title race, were able to rest their top contributors for much of the second half as a daunting final stretch of the regular season looms.

"Having the guys split the minutes like we did tonight, I think that's great," Vescovi said. "It helps everybody get some rest for their bodies and the biggest part of it, too is just being confident that the next guy coming off the bench is going to do their thing. Like they showed tonight, they can do it. They've been showing it. That helps us, too. If you're on the court and you get tired, you can ask for a sub because the next guy coming in is going to be locked in."

–––––

– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.

– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.

– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @TMansfieldMedia, @ByNoahTaylor, @RealTBannerman, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media, @TylerIvens.

–––––