FINAL: Tennessee Escapes Mississippi State, Rebounds After Tough First Half

Tennessee rebounded after a tough first half and beat Mississippi State for another SEC win.

All that matters is the win. It wasn't always pretty; in fact, it was ugly for most of the game. Tennessee got out to one of their worst first halves of the season, falling behind by nine against Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a fast start and were clearly motivated after getting shell-shocked by Tennessee a few games ago. Motivation is the No. 1 thing for teams, and Mississippi State had plenty.

Meanwhile, Tennessee had another poor first-half execution-wise. They were missing open shots, and the Volunteers were committing costly turnovers and not moving the ball.

The ESPN broadcast began piling on, adding that Tennessee struggled to move the ball against a shell of Mississippi State's zone defense in shoot-around. They went on a run to close the first half and evened things at 23.

Head coach Rick Barnes lit a fire under his team at halftime. They came out refocused and ready to operate. Guard Zakai Zeigler had a redeeming half of basketball, putting his teammates in the correct position.

The three consecutive halves of basketball, spanning from the Kentucky game until halftime of the Mississippi State game, was the worst shooting performance they had. However, they came alive from three in the second half, and everyone got in on the fun.

One key contributor was forward Josiah Jordan-James, who stepped up without guards Santiago Vescovi and Tyreke Key. Jordan-James nailed several difficult shots that spurred them to victory.

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