'We got out-toughed tonight': No. 4 Tennessee controls No. 10 Texas inside and out

Al Lesar
·2 min read
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Tennessee forward Olivier Nkamhoua scores on a dunk during the second half of the No. 4 Volunteers' 82-71 win over No. 10 Texas on Saturday. Nkamhoua led the Vols with 27 points as Tennessee improved to 18-3. Texas fell to 17-4.
Tennessee forward Olivier Nkamhoua scores on a dunk during the second half of the No. 4 Volunteers' 82-71 win over No. 10 Texas on Saturday. Nkamhoua led the Vols with 27 points as Tennessee improved to 18-3. Texas fell to 17-4.
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Olivier Nkamhoua scored 27 points and Zakai Zeigler had 22 points and 10 assists to lead No. 4 Tennessee over No. 10 Texas 82-71 Saturday night in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup.

The raucous crowd of more than 20,000 at Thompson-Boling Arena watched the Volunteers (18-3) dominate the Longhorns (17-4) inside. Tennessee had a 38-24 rebounding advantage.

“They really pounded us on the glass,” Texas interim coach Rodney Terry said. “We don’t get out-toughed too often. We got out-toughed tonight.”

Nkamhoua had eight rebounds to go with his game-high scoring.

Texas' Brock Cunningham, top, and Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi get tangled up in the paint during the Vols' victory Saturday.
Texas' Brock Cunningham, top, and Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi get tangled up in the paint during the Vols' victory Saturday.

“He was absolutely driven,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “That (attitude) started in practice yesterday.”

This was “the focus and the energy I can bring every day,” Nkamhoua said. “It’s been able to translate into the game.”

Josiah-Jordan James added 14 points and Santiago Vescovi had 12 points and eight rebounds for Tennessee, which led by as many as 22 midway through the second half. Zeigler has been turning heads with his recent play.

Zeigler “makes guys around him better,” Terry said. “You have to pick your poison on how to guard him. He’s tough, and real pesky on defense.”

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes saw his No. 4 Volunteers improve to 18-3 overall. “We don’t get out-toughed too often. We got out-toughed tonight,” said Texas interim coach Rodney Terry, who was Barnes' assistant with the Longhorns for nine years.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes saw his No. 4 Volunteers improve to 18-3 overall. “We don’t get out-toughed too often. We got out-toughed tonight,” said Texas interim coach Rodney Terry, who was Barnes' assistant with the Longhorns for nine years.

“I’m getting a good feel for the game,” Zeigler said. “Last year (a 52-51 loss at Texas), was a very emotional locker room. This meant a lot to us.”

Jabari Rice scored 21 points to lead Texas. Marcus Carr, the Longhorns’ leading scorer, didn’t get his first points until early in the second half. Two early fouls affected his production. He and Brock Cunningham finished with 11 points each.

The Longhorns have a quick turnaround. They will entertain No. 17 Baylor on Monday night.

Tennessee “played us really hard,” Terry said. “They protected the paint and didn’t give us a lot of good looks.”

Texas went more than six minutes without scoring in the first half. Tennessee reeled off nine straight points and turned a tie game into a 26-17 lead. That spurt paved the way to a 40-28 lead at halftime.

Notes: Texas is averaging 16.7 assists. … Timmy Allen is the only active Division I player with at least 1,900 points, 800 rebounds and 400 assists. … Texas has had at least one 3-pointer in 1,075 consecutive games. ... In college hoops parlance, a “kill shot” is a run of 10 or more points by a team. The Vols are No. 4 in the country with 21 “kill shots.” Only Houston (24), Rutgers (22) and Missouri (22) have more.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Tennessee dominates Texas in national top-10 showdown at home