Chaz Lanier is exactly who Tennessee basketball thought he’d be and he showed it vs Baylor

Zakai Zeigler saw the play before it unfolded.

The Tennessee basketball guard pointed to an open Chaz Lanier on the wing, imploring Jahmai Mashack to swing an offensive rebound to the scalding hot shooter. Mashack obliged and Zeigler signaled for a made 3-pointer before Lanier let it go.

There was no chance Lanier was missing. There was little chance he was going to hit the rim.

“The one guy we said, ‘don’t give him an open three,’ had 15 points in the first four minutes,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said.

Lanier hit the 3-pointer Zeigler foresaw to give him those 15 points that Drew bemoaned after No. 9 Tennessee (6-0) hammered No. 14 Baylor (4-2) 77-62 to win the Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, the Bahamas. Lanier finished with 25 points with seven 3-pointers, all in the first half.

He captivated in a dazzling 20-minute display, proving he is exactly who Tennessee expected he’d be − and that he has the offensive might to shine in the biggest matchups for a Vols team with lofty potential.

Chaz Lanier torched Baylor with 25 points, seven 3-pointers

Lanier made a 3-pointer less than 10 seconds into the game Friday. He hit four more before the first media timeout, giving him five in a 3-minute, 50-second span.

“(My shot) was falling from the beginning but I want to give all the glory to God and all the credit to my teammates for finding me,” Lanier said on the CBS Sports Network broadcast.

The North Florida transfer was the lighter fluid to Tennessee’s fiery start in a significant early season win. His seven first-half 3-pointers tied him for the fifth-most in a game in a Tennessee history. He was ready to fire repeatedly, hitting six of those 3-pointers without taking a dribble.

His fourth 3-pointer was the lone one on which he dribbled, probing at the top of the key before backing out then dribbling into a long shot.

The 6-foot-5 guard had 22 points as Tennessee built a 42-14 lead. He capped the first half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to reach the 25-point…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/chaz-lanier-exactly-tennessee-basketball-100455676.html

Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Publish date : 2024-11-23 10:04:00

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