The Tennessee Volunteers (11-12, 3-5) men’s basketball team entered Saturday’s matchup at Thompson-Boling Arena with the Georgia Bulldogs (10-12, 1-7) with their third lineup change of the season. Skyler McBee started for the first time in his career as sophomore Trae Golden was absent from the starting lineup for the first all season.
“It told me that he felt like I wasn’t playing hard enough,” Golden said. “I just had to come in the game and give a spark off the bench. I found out yesterday in practice at the beginning when we had walkthrough.”
And provide a spark he did. Golden led all Vols with 16 points and five assists, while also grabbing six rebounds in 28 minutes of play.
The Vols also found a spark off the bench with fellow sophomore guard, Jordan McRae. McRae recorded 14 points in 24 minutes of play on Saturday.
“I’m just trying to stay positive and keep playing with confidence,” McRae said of his role in the Vols’ rotation. “I’m just really trying to get better defensively every day and keep my offense in mind too.”
In his first game as a starter, Skyler McBee also provided some key shots in Saturday’s game. McBee recorded 10 points, including a 3-pointer and 7-8 free throw attempts.
“We did a good job of getting to the free-throw line as a team,” Coach Cuonzo Martin said. “I though Skylar did a good job of running the team early. We got the W.”
Jeronne Maymon continued his offensive dominance with 15 points, 9-12 from the free throw line, to go along with eight rebounds. His play garnered praise from his head coach following Saturday’s win.
“I think when Jerrone is making those free throws, he’s really hard to defend,” Coach Martin said. “I’d be hard pressed to find anybody that can truly ‘shut him down’.”
The Vols will host South Carolina on Wednesday, Feb. 8th at Thompson-Boling arena. Tennessee currently sits at the 9th position in the SEC after Saturday’s win and will have seven more games to improve their record before the SEC tournament in March.
Original Story:
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February 04, 2012
