Takeaways: No. 18 Tennessee Survives Ole Miss in SEC Thriller

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Santiago Vescovi raced toward the scorers' table Wednesday, dribbling wildly after nabbing a steal. He moved quickly in front of the

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Santiago Vescovi raced toward the scorers' table Wednesday, dribbling wildly after nabbing a steal. 

He moved quickly in front of the Tennessee bench, stopped on a dime and calmly let one fly: swish. 

The Uruguay native skipped and smiled, and Thompson-Boling Arena exploded as Vescovi gave Tennessee a 59-56 lead in overtime against Ole Miss.

The momentum was enough to propel UT through the extra period, as Rick Barnes' team beat the Rebels 66-60 for its first SEC win of the season.

Here are our takeaways from the victory:

Vescovi and Vols Take Over Late

After trailing by eight points in moments through the second half, the Vols stormed back in the final moments of regulation. 

Vescovi hit one of his two big threes to tie the game at 51, and he celebrated before connecting again in the extra period.

In total, his hot shooting paced the Vols, and Tennessee maintained control on the defensive end. 

Vescovi finished with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, with two free throws late. 

“It just feels good, to know we have a chance to win and that we have that swagger,” he said. “It really felt like a war out there.”

“That feeling is just crazy,” added Zakai Zeigler when asked about Vescovi’s big shots.

Between the second half and overtime, Vescovi scored the final 12 of those points in less than nine minutes.

Tennessee as a whole scored 15 points in five minutes through overtime, as compared to 19 points through the whole first half.

Before Vescovi’s game-icing free throws, Kennedy Chandler drove the lane to put the Vols at a six-point lead -- a bit of a cushion after what was mostly a one-possession game through the final two periods. 

Olivier Nkamhoua scored the first bucket in overtime and made a nifty move for a layup later in the five-minute spurt, and he also finished in double digits with 13 points, two rebounds and three assists. 

Barnes noted Nkamhoua’s improvement, noting this was “the most locked-in” he’s seen Nkamhoua and that he was as proud of him as anyone.

Josiah-Jordan James rounded out Tennessee's leading scorers with 10 points and eight rebounds. 

Fulky, Chandler Return -- Yet Neither Can Help Awful Offense Early

In last week’s loss against Alabama, Tennessee played without two of its best options yet still stayed with the Crimson Tide.

So, with John Fulkerson and Kennedy Chandler back against an Ole Miss squad whose roster was depleted due to COVID-19, one would think the Vols would have quick success against the Rebels. Right?

Wrong. 

Tennessee started an abysmal 0-of-10 from the floor on Wednesday, not hitting a single bucket until Fulkerson connected with 12:24 left in the first half. 

And after Chandler hit the bench with two early fouls, the struggles remained through most of the first 20 minutes. 

The Vols finished the first half 8-for-30 from the floor, 2-of-15 from three. Their only aid was the final two minutes of the period, as Ole Miss couldn't hit while UT made 5 of 8 to trail 21-19 at the break. 

As mentioned, the Rebels looked to take control at several points in the second half. 

Still, Tennessee continued fighting and came away on top after making 39 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the line. 

“Every night, you’ve got to go into it like it’s a possession game,” Barnes said. “It’s never going to be easy, and if it is, it’s a rarity.”

And in the end, Barnes said, “(we) found a way.”

Turnovers, Defense Prove Difference

Turnovers were costly for both teams, as Ole Miss finished with 27 while UT had 19. 

UT also took 17 steals and held the Rebels to 44 percent from the floor.

Both the Ole Miss turnover rate and Tennessee’s 17 steals are highs for the Barnes era, per team spokesman Tom Satkowiak.

“If we didn’t have that (defense), the game would have been totally different,” Vescovi said.

Aside from the numbers, the Vols also forced several backcourt and shot-clock violations to flummox Kermit Davis’ team when it counted.

Fulkerson Notches Program Record

As mentioned a few days ago, John Fulkerson remained just one appearance from breaking a program record for most games played in Tennessee program history.

Leading into the Alabama matchup, Fulkerson was tied with Wayne Chism at 142 games apiece.

One thought he would snap the record in Tuscaloosa, but then he and Chandler were ruled out after contracting COVID-19 over the Christmas holiday.

So, the record had to wait until Wednesday.

Tennessee honored the sixth-year super-senior with a graphic at halftime and supplemented the visual effect with a quick biography on the Kingsport native.

Vols' Scoring Droughts Continue -- But They Can't Last

Aside from the seven-minute, 36-second period that preceded Fulkerson’s opening bucket, Tennessee also went other stretches without scoring -- namely 3:02 and 2:02 in the first half with a 3:33 drought in the second half. 

That will be a focus point moving forward, as UT will face No. 21 LSU on Saturday before traveling to face No. 16 Kentucky in Lexington.