No. 11 Tennessee leaned on its defense and a much cleaner second half to shake off Radford 70-47 on its home floor in the Volunteers’ second regular-season game.
The Vols didn’t exactly come out firing. Tennessee opened the night ice-cold, and Radford was able to hang around early while the home team searched for a rhythm. The Highlanders even grabbed a brief edge before Tennessee’s defense started squeezing possessions and the offense finally began to stir.
Radford needed nearly four minutes to score from the field, getting its first bucket on a Tristan Gross three. Tennessee, meanwhile, had to wait almost three minutes for its own first basket, a three from Braedan Lue. At the first media timeout, with 11:57 left in the half, the Vols were just 2-for-10 and still trying to settle in.
The offense was choppy, and the turnovers piled up. Tennessee finished the first half with seven giveaways. But the defense kept the game from slipping away, forcing Radford deep into the shot clock and making the Highlanders work for everything they got.
Jalen Haralson gave Tennessee a few timely sparks in the middle of the half. Troy Henderson found him for a tying dunk, and Haralson followed that by coming up with a steal.
Miles Rubin then got involved inside, finishing back-to-back chances in the paint. Henderson added a steal and score to push Tennessee ahead 16-12, and a Radford timeout followed with 7:58 remaining.
Not long after, Rubin rose for an alley-oop.
Terrence Hill Jr. eventually gave Tennessee some breathing room from outside. He knocked down the Vols’ second three of the night with 4:07 left to make it 26-21, then showed off his full package by splitting two defenders for a layup.
Hill later buried another three after a Brown offensive rebound and reached 10 points. That scoring burst helped open things up for everyone else, including Haralson, who slipped free on a backdoor cut for a dunk.
Tennessee carried a 33-24 lead into halftime.
The second half started with more of the same: Tennessee getting points in the paint rather than from long range. Hill and Braedan Lue each scored inside to open the period, and the Vols kept leaning on drives, free throws and interior touches while the three-point shot continued to stay stubbornly quiet.
Tennessee stretched the margin to 44-29 with 13:59 left when Haralson finished a fast-break dunk. Radford’s Warren Keel and Jordyn Kee answered with tough shots at times, but the Highlanders rarely found clean looks against Tennessee’s defense.
Rubin was even more active protecting the rim after the break. He blocked two shots in a span of five seconds and gave Tennessee a strong defensive presence around the basket.
On the other end, Henderson and Rubin connected on an inbound lob that made it 50-36 with 10:47 to play. Juke Harris then hit his first three of the night at the 10:02 mark.
Haralson took a hard foul at the rim with 7:51 remaining and went down holding his right shoulder. Officials reviewed the play for a flagrant foul on Keel during the TV timeout, but the call stayed a common foul.
Haralson made both free throws to extend the lead to 57-36. He stayed aggressive throughout the night and also helped on the glass, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds.
Dai Dai Ames picked up his scoring late and finished with 13 points. Brown didn’t take many shots, but he handled his work on the boards and ended with four points and 12 rebounds. Hill led Tennessee with 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting, while Rubin posted eight points, six rebounds, three blocks and one steal.
Radford’s offense never found much traction in the second half, shooting 24.2 percent over the final 20 minutes. Tennessee used a 16-2 run to build a 62-38 lead before the under-four media timeout and cruised from there to the 70-47 finish.
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Josh Heupel eased some of that worry after the game, saying Brame is doing well and is expected to be in good condition for the upcoming matchup with Texas A&M. Tennessee still has to get through the first availability report, which comes Wednesday night, but for now the update gives Vols fans a little relief heading into a game week that already has plenty of attention on it. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Volunteers, the takeaway is less about being in the mix and more about how little margin there may be if the conference keeps stacking contenders around them. Kentucky, despite sitting No. 6 in the initial CFP rankings, did not appear in any of the new projections, a reminder that early positioning can shift quickly once the selection debate starts to narrow. The full set of ESPN picks only reinforces how tightly the race is being judged at the top. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Defense Just Sent Texas A&M A Brutal Message
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That kind of performance lands with extra force this week because Texas A&M is next on the schedule, and the Aggies are already in a precarious spot after a loss to South Carolina. They need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible, and now they have to do it against a Tennessee defense that just spent an afternoon sending a very clear message. [Read more 🡒]