Tennessee basketball: Rick Barnes magic

Smokey mountain smoke and mirrors in the post

Tennessee’s two upper class post players are 6 foot 9 inch Kyle Alexander and 6 foot 5 inch Grant Williams. While Williams gets the glory as the team’s leading scorer playing 28 minutes a night like a bowling ball looking for a pin to topple, Alexander is the difference maker for the Volunteers down low.

Alexander averaged 13 minutes a game the last two seasons, but this season is taking 20 minutes a night, adding two points a game to his average over the 2017 season to contribute 5.3  points a game to the Volunteer totals.

After Williamson and Alexander, it’s pretty much smoke and mirrors inside for Tennessee basketball.  With Derrick Walker and John Fulkerson each taking nine minutes a game, Zach Kent seven minutes a game, and Admiral Schofield occasionally swinging back to his familiar post position, the  Volunteers lineup sometimes looks like what you would expect playing for Farragut High School 20 minutes out Interstate 40.