Why an 'angry' Jonas Aidoo is good for Tennessee basketball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Zakai Zeigler can tell by a look.
He's played with Jonas Aidoo long enough to pick up on what kind of night is in store for the 6-foot-11 Tennessee junior forward by the eye contact they give each other in pregame.
In the minutes leading up to the 2-seed Vols' opening round bout with 15-seed Saint Peter's at Spectrum Center, Aidoo locked eyes with Zeigler during warmups. Less than two minutes into the first half, after he pulled down back-to-back dunks, Aidoo turned around, looked at Zeigler again and smiled.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
The tone had been set in Tennessee's complete 83-49 dismantling of the Peacocks to move on to the Round of 32.
"We know each other really well. We're like brothers," Zeigler said. "And when we look at each other's eyes, we can tell what kind of game it's going to be."
Aidoo scored 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting. He grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots on the defensive end, looking every bit of the player that the Vols have leaned on this season and the kind that could lead them on a deep NCAA Tournament run.
It was a familiar role for Aidoo, the kind that landed him on the All-SEC First Team and helped lead Tennessee to its first outright SEC title in 16 years during the regular season. And it came at the right time.
Coming off of two-straight losses, including a surprisingly quick exit from the SEC Tournament less than a week ago, Aidoo changed his mindset going into preparation for Saint Peter's.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Key takeaway: Tennessee basketball's trio shines in win over Saint Peter's
"I wanted to get my swagger back," Aidoo said. "The last couple of games, I wasn't really being aggressive enough as I know I should be...Before the game started, I was really feeling myself. I was feeling really confident."
Josiah-Jordan James noticed it, too.
Like Zeigler, James has picked up on Aidoo's habits before he takes over a game. For him, it was in shoot-around when he could hear Aidoo's voice.
"When Jonas is talking a lot, that's the tell-tale sign of what version you're going to get from him," James said. "That was the best version we've seen from him. We know that the sky is the limit from him. When Jonas is active and his voice is going, that's when you know he'll be locked in from start to finish."
This is the best version of Tennessee basketball; a commanding presence from Aidoo in the paint to compliment what Zeigler and SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht are doing on the perimeter.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Vols cruise past Saint Peter's in opening round of NCAA Tournament
The Vols (25-8) will need more of that version to keep its season and Final Four hopes alive against 10-seed Texas (21-12) on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, CBS), a team that Tennessee is plenty familiar with having played twice in the last two seasons.
The Longhorns also pride themselves on a physical brand of basketball. A testing of his own physicality brings a little anger to Aidoo's game. It's a welcome sight for his teammates.
"When (Aidoo) is playing angry, he's the best version of himself," Zeigler said. "Tonight, he showed that. He played like himself."
–––––
– 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, @ByNoahTaylor, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media.
–––––