No. 8 Tennessee heads into Monday night’s matchup with Radford carrying the confidence of a season-opening win and a few clear signs of what this team can be.
The Volunteers opened with a 90-59 victory and got a huge night from DeWayne Brown II, who finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds for his first career double-double and new personal bests in both categories. Brown said the game had a different feel than Tennessee’s preseason work.
“It was very competitive,” Brown said. “We were trying to show we were a different team than (preseason games against) Xavier and Duke.
We were going to defend and make sure we won the rebound battle. Really, that’s what I was focused on the whole game -- doing the right things and being in the right spot.”
Brown did much of his early damage on the defensive end before his offense picked up later. He said that part of his game has been a point of emphasis.
“(My offense) is something I’ve been working on a lot,” he said. “Coach expects that out of me, and I want to be able to do that for this team. We’re going to need that inside presence.”
Rick Barnes had no trouble singling out Brown’s night as Tennessee gets ready for its first game in a week. The longtime coach said Brown’s outing stood out above all else.
“Dwayne Brown 17 and 17, by far, you know, his best game,” Barnes said. “Dwayne has struggled up to this point, you know, our exhibition season, but I thought he was terrific (against Wofford).”
Barnes, now in his 40th season overall as a college basketball head coach, also said he isn’t focused on who starts. Instead, he’s watching how his team finishes. Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris gave him something to like off the bench, scoring seven points with four rebounds and two assists.
“I told people ... I’m not concerned about starting lineups,” Barnes said.
“I’m more concerned about how we finish games, but Juke started the second half and I thought played great. He was a plus-29 in the game, which I thought was really, obviously good.
“I thought defensively he really, really worked hard and that’s what we’re still trying to get, that mentality defensively where we can guard. We started rebounding the ball, we went at it with a lot more force in the second half.”
Terrence Hill Jr. added 17 points, and Tyler Lundblade chipped in 12 while hitting 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Barnes said the team settled in after the early stretch and began to look more like the group he expects.
“Once we got out and got stops, rebounded, things started working and that’s what it takes,” Barnes said. “I’d like to see us have more offensive rebounds, but I don’t know what we shot as an overall team last year, but (against Wofford) we shot 52%. ... After we got settled in, it was the kind of a game, you know, we expect.”
Radford comes in at 0-2 after an 84-70 loss at Cal on Wednesday, a game in which the Golden Bears knocked down 17 of 35 shots from beyond the arc. Frederik Erichsen posted a career-high 16 points in his second career start for the Highlanders.
Radford coach Zach Chu said the second year of his program has already brought a different feel.
“Going from Year 1 and having never coached anyone on the team to Year 2 where we’re just a little more player-led (has helped),” Chu said. “The thing we’re most excited about is the character of this team and some of the leadership that has showed up.”
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