LAS VEGAS — Tennessee point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie took aim and drilled a three-pointer from the left wing on the Vols’ second possession of the game. It was a sign of things to come as Tennessee blitzed Rutgers 85-60 in its opening game at the Players Era.
The early start time locally did nothing to slow down Gillespie who erupted early and often in the blowout win. Here’s three quick takeaways.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie Gets The Show Started
Senior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie had been good but not quite great in the first five games of the season. The 6-foot-1 point guard was phenomenal in the Vols’ first game against a power five opponent and he got Tennessee started from the jump.
Gillespie hit three triples before the first media timeout and scored 14 of Tennessee’s first 19 points as they built a 10-point lead in the game’s first 10 minutes. The senior point guard carried the Vols’ offense while a number of other players started to get going but he didn’t slow down much the rest of the day.
Tennessee’s lead guard went for 23 first half points on four-of-six shooting from three-point range while also dishing out three assists. He finished the game with 32 points, four assists and just two turnovers as he played the best game of his young Tennessee career.
Gillespie’s 32 points were a career-high as were his six made three-pointers.
Welcome Back JP Estrella And Bishop Boswell
Less than 24 hours after Rick Barnes said he didn’t expect JP Estrella to play in the Players Era, Estrella was on the court for the Vols against Rutgers. There was a double dose of good injury news for Tennessee with Bishop Boswell also returning.
Neither played a crazy amount of minutes in their return, but both were highly effective in their roles. Boswell scored just two points on two shots but played really strong defense. He forced a number of turnovers which help create offense.
Boswell also made some sound basketball plays on the offensive end as he ended the game with five assists in his 18 minutes played.
Estrella played 10 minutes and flashed his offensive talent. The 6-foot-11 big man scored eight of his 10 points in the first half while also finishing with two rebounds. He largely looked himself despite taking a few falls, but the positive was that he was able to play at all just a week after suffering a bone bruise on his right knee.
More From RTI: JP Estrella, Bishop Boswell ‘Expected To Be Available’ For Tennessee Basketball Against Rutgers
Offensive Rebounding Continues To Shine And A Better Turnover Game
Tennessee’s biggest statistical strength through the first five games of the season was its offensive rebounding. The Vols led the country in offensive rebound rate and continued to excel there against the Scarlett Knights.
That was especially the case in the first half when Tennessee missed 13 shots and rebounded eight of them to score 13 second chance points. The numbers slowed down a bit in the second half but Tennessee still posted a 50% offensive rebound rate. Cade Phillips led the way for Tennessee on the offensive glass with four offensive rebounds.
Tennessee’s biggest weakness through the first five games of the season was its high turnover rate and they did a much better job of taking care of the basketball against Rutgers. The Vols turned it over just five times in the first half before finishing the game with 13 turnovers.
It was still not a great turnover game by any means but some came late in the game with bench players in and one was Nate Ament traveling when he fell down grabbing a rebound. All-in-all it was a better rebounding effort.
Up Next
Tennessee basketball is back in action on Tuesday night when they face No. 2 Houston. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. ET at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
