3 Tennessee Basketball Takeaways From Exhibition Loss vs Xavier

Tennessee basketball’s opening exhibition contest against an improved Xavier squad gave Head Coach Rick Barnes a lot that he needs to address before the season starts. Tennessee’s newcomer-laden team came up short in the matchup and lost 86-70. The main areas for improvement are reducing defensive breakdowns, rebounding the ball better, and being able to knock down three-point shots. The Vols will look to build on VCU transfer Terrence Hill Jr’s. 22-point game as a stepping stone heading into this season. Xavier’s explosive offense was on display as they scored 59 points in the second half. This exposed Tennessee a lot.

Tennessee’s Defense and Rebounding

Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes talks with guard Juke Harris (2) during a college basketball exhibition game against Xavier on Oct. 15, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

If Tennessee has any hope of having a successful season in the SEC, they must clean up their defense and rebounding. This was demonstrated by a second-half collapse where they gave up 59 points. Xavier controlled the boards the whole game, winning the rebounding battle 45-31. Barnes was vocal after the loss, emphasizing that this is unacceptable for a team with this level of talent.

Advertisement

One of the main underlying issues is that the guards did not do an effective job of rebounding the ball. Every player out on the floor needs to be able to rebound the ball regardless of size. Tennessee made a crucial mistake by leaving the paint open. This allowed Xavier to find open spaces and convert. This led to more second-chance opportunities that Tennessee could not afford.

In order to live up to their championship standards, Tennessee’s guards need to commit to finding a body and boxing out to get more rebounds and limit their opponents’ possessions. The guards and the rest of the team must be more physical than the other team to have this success.

Tennessee’s Cold Stretch From 3

The Volunteer offense looked to be in complete disarray in this contest. Their…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/3-tennessee-basketball-takeaways-exhibition-195213224.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-19 19:52:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.