Tennessee Rocky Topples Gonzaga

You'd think a Zag would know when to zig at crunch time.

Didn't happen, which is one reason why Admiral Schofield popped the winning shot from downtown Mesa and capped the Tennessee Volunteers' 76-73 victory over Gonzaga at the Jerry Colangelo Classic.

As with the Zag-Dookie clash in Maui, this one had all the makings of a Final Four preview.

 

Unlike the FBS, the Big Dance has a bracket that'll sort it out.

The point is, these two teams are pretty damn good and have both the look and the depth to be consistent over the course of a season.

This round went to the Vols in a hard-fought, back-&-forth battle that saw both teams accumulate and lose large leads.

 

With SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams leading the charge early and then getting in foul trouble down the stretch, Schofield assumed the scoring helm.

Dude went off for 30 points, including 6-10 from quadrants only Tugger would dare to sail ...

 

Schofield had to know he was feelin' it when, as the clock ticked away in the late stages, he launched an ill-advised shot from well beyond the arc.

It was just bad enough to carom off glass and go in.

 

The NCAA's kinda lax like that. It still counted.

The point, though, was Schofield had to be defended from the moment he stepped inside the lines, and when he absolutely needed to be covered like a second layer of skin, Hachimura and Josh Perkins somehow confused their assignments.

 

Of course, nobody in college hoops -- except maybe a delerious Kentucky fan or two -- expects to go unbeaten. Top teams play other top teams in non-cons to hone themselves for big games in February and March.

 

Yes. Yes it is.

Gonzaga's non-con strategy of playing big games is well-known due to their conference being classic mid-major. Tennessee will have challenges in the SEC, and games like this confirm the Vols are ready for them.

And more often than not, they shouldn't need to call bank.