What every Tennessee Basketball fan had been waiting for finally came to fruition Saturday night as the Vols rebounded from a bad loss to the Florida Gators with a key road win against the Texas Longhorns. Darlinston Dubar was the player of the game off the bench for UT in their 74-70 win.
After missing time due to injury, struggling with personal issues and being held back due to not picking up the systen, Dubar finally took advantage of his chance. He went 3-of-5 from the three-point line with 12 points and added six rebounds, helping the Vols find depth in the post and at the stretch-four.
In the process, the Vols found another weapon.
Three-point shooting was key for the Vols in a game that was tight the whole way. As Rick Barnes returned to Austin to face his old team, his squad shot 10-of-23 from outside.
Zakai Zeigler was the star, scoring 16 points and dishing out eight assists. He and Chaz Lanier each shot 2-of-6 from three. Lanier had 10 points. Jordan Gainey added 12 points off the bench by going 2-of-5 from the thre-point line.
In the post, UT dominated even further, winning the rebounding battle 41-27. Felix Okpara came away with nine boards, and Igor Milicic Jr. came away with six.
Still, the main story is Dubar. An elite wing who can play the post or on the perimeter and can score from anywhere on the floor is exactly what the Vols have been missing. This gives them the offensive weapon they need to score their way out of dry spells, and it should only get better for them from here.
With the win, Tennessee improves to 15-1 and 2-1 in the SEC. They will host the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday. Texas falls to 11-5 and 0-3 in SEC play with a trip to the Oklahoma Sooners, ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll and No. 16 in the Coaches Poll, also set for Wednesday.
