One of the best attributes to this season's Tennessee basketball team is that it can revert back to last season's team.
That may not seem like a compliment given that the 2022-23 Volunteers suffered from occasional scoring droughts, most notably in the second half of their loss to Florida Atlantic in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Yet last season's defense-first, grind-it-out bunch that didn't have the scoring prowess of Dalton Knecht did produce wins over Kansas, Alabama and Duke, holding each of those foes in the 50s.
Tennessee's 81-74 triumph at Alabama on Saturday night had similar elements, as the Vols held the Crimson Tide to 17 points below their scoring average and 27 points below what they had averaged in their previous five games.
"The type of basketball we play is not always pretty," Vols fifth-year senior guard Josiah-Jordan James told reporters afterward, "but it comes down to executing the things that you do every single day. I feel like we're prepared each and every night because of our coaches and because of the work that we put in.
"We knew this was going to be a championship-level game, and we were able to fight and win and come out on top."
The No. 4 Vols improved to 23-6 overall and to 13-3 in Southeastern Conference contests, taking a one-game lead over No. 14 Alabama (20-9, 12-4) and No. 18 South Carolina (24-5, 12-4). Tennessee visits South Carolina on Wednesday night (7 on ESPN2) with a chance to claim the top seed in the rapidly approaching league tournament.
Tennessee's win over the Tide was its third straight in the series, which is a first for the Vols this century.
"They're a tough, veteran team," Alabama coach Nate Oats said in a news conference. "They were down seven midway through the second half with Knecht in foul trouble. He has kind of carried them, but they had other guys step up and make big shots. They were the quicker team to a lot of loose balls throughout the night.
"Give Tennessee a lot of credit. They've put together a tough, veteran group that figures out how to win games."
Tennessee Athletics photo / Tennessee junior guard Jahmai Mashack helped the Volunteers hold Alabama 17 points below its season average during Saturday night's 81-74 win in Tuscaloosa.The Vols indeed faced a seven-point deficit in Tuscaloosa, and they faced an eight-point deficit in the second half of Wednesday night's 92-84 victory over Auburn in Knoxville. Knecht took that game over with a 39-point performance, outscoring the Tigers 25-21 in the final 12 minutes, but the fifth-year senior guard and Northern Colorado transfer had only 13 points Saturday and was 1-of-7 from 3-point range.
Junior point guard Zakai Zeigler tallied 18 points and dished out four assists at Alabama, while James added 11 points and 13 rebounds, but the all-around star was Jahmai Mashack. The junior guard had eight points, making both of his 3-point attempts, and added six rebounds, four assists and one steal.
"He might have played the best game he's played since he's been at Tennessee," Vols coach Rick Barnes said, "because he did all the things we wanted him to do. We told him that if he was open to shoot the ball. He's a real weapon for us."
Said James: "Jahmai is such a star in his role. He does so many things that don't show up in the stat sheet. We see him as the best defender in the country, and he takes pride in that."
Mashack's 3-pointer with 6:13 remaining gave the Vols a 63-62 lead, and it put them ahead to stay largely because he raced down the court after that basket and snagged a steal that led to a Jonas Aidoo layup.
"He does all the dirty work," Barnes said. "A lot of guys don't want to buy into that part of it, but he has an extreme talent there, plays hard and has great cardio toughness."
When asked if he thought this was his best game, Mashack smiled and said, "I think it's up there for sure. Whatever the team needs, I'm going to do it."
Odds and ends
Barnes improved to 26-20 with the Vols during games in which both teams are ranked. ... Fifth-year senior guard Santiago Vescovi played in his 143rd career game and now ranks second in program history behind John Fulkerson, who played six seasons and logged a whopping 165 contests. ... James recorded his eighth career double-double and his third this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.