What we learned about Tennessee basketball in Italy and it was all good

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Tennessee basketball completed an unbeaten international tour in Italy, sweeping three games during a 10-day stint abroad.

It was UT’s first international tour since 2017, which led into an SEC regular-season title. This tour showed the Vols are capable of doing the same in Rick Barnes’ ninth season at UT.

Here are the main takeaways from the Vols’ games in Italy:

Tennessee has three legitimate shooting threats

Tennessee went into the offseason aiming to add shooters. It did that, putting transfers Jordan Gainey and Dalton Knecht alongside Santiago Vescovi to have three high-level shooters at guard.

The trio combined to shoot 47% on 3-pointers, knocking down 31 of 66 attempts.

Knecht led the way with 12 3-pointers, hitting at a 48% clip. He made four threes in each game. Vescovi made 55.6% of his, making 10 of 18. The senior went 5-for-7 in UT’s second game against the Lithuanian U21 national team. Gainey was 9-for-23. He made four in Tennessee’s first game.

The upgraded shooting is the key to Tennessee’s offensive ambitions, which if it pairs with its usual stout defense could make for a highly successful season.

The transfers are for real

Tennessee hasn’t made a major splash in the transfer portal in recent offseasons. Gainey and Knecht appear primed to dispel that trend as key contributors and game-changing additions.

Gainey showed he brings more than shooting ability. He can play point guard enough for the Vols to use him there, especially until Zakai Zeigler returns from his ACL injury. He’s smart defensively and plays with good pace with the ball.

Knecht is a stud shooter and could certainly lead the Vols in scoring this season. His defense is a work in progress but his desire to do it is unquestioned. He’s looks like player Tennessee needed to add for his shooting and well-rounded offensive abilities.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/learned-tennessee-basketball-italy-good-090244823.html?src=rss

Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Publish date : 2023-08-11 09:02:44

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