PHILADELPHIA — Tennessee point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie could not choose which of his nine assists were his favorite in the Vols’ 78-56 win over Miami (Ohio) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
There was an acrobatic lob to JP Estrella in the first half, a simple bounce pass in transition that led to a DeWayne Brown dunk and a drive and lob to Felix Okpara to put the final touches on the win. Gillespie could not choose just one favorite but one thing was clear.
“He was in full-command and control the entire time,” Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey told RTI postgame. “From tip to quit.”
Ja’Kobi Gillespie couldn’t choose just one favorite assist from Tennessee’s win over Miami (Ohio). But he did settle on these three. pic.twitter.com/gETfjedEVP
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Early in the game, Tennessee wanted to pound the ball inside to take advantage of its superior size. Gillespie ran the offense smoothly and got the ball where Rick Barnes wanted it. That included Gillespie getting to the bucket and scoring himself.
“I thought he had control of the game early,” Tennessee assistant coach Steve McClain told RTI. “Making simple plays and his best games have been when he’s not trying to score. The shots were just coming to him. It was natural. Not forcing anything and that’s when he’s at his best.”
The shots were coming to Gillespie and he knocked them down when they did. He scored 22 of his game-high 29 points in the first half, knocking down four-of-five three-point attempts.
Rick Barnes said that the first half was “maybe” the best 20 minutes Tennessee played all season. Gillespie was a major reason why. He accounted for 32 of Tennessee’s first half points, matching Miami’s 32 first half points. Gillespie finished the game with nine assists— tied for his second highest output of the season.
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“Gillespie was unbelievable,” Miami coach Travis Steele said postgame. “He dominated the game.”
“Ja’Kobi was phenomenal today,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “Not just making shots, but really running the team and helping us be effective on the offensive end.”
After an unconscious first half, Gillespie finished the game making six-of-11 three-point attempts. After a five-game stretch where Gillespie made just 18% of his three-point attempts, the senior point guard has recaptured his shot. Over the last two games, Gillespie has made nine three-pointers at a 50% clip.
“It felt good to see some go through,” Gillespie said. “I haven’t been hitting many shots. But my teammates kept trusting me and I have trust in myself.”
Gainey noted that Gillespie was also terrific on the defensive end, picking up Miami point guard Luke Skaljac full court and holding him to just four points while snatching three steals along the way.
Gillespie’s stellar performance was all the more important because fellow star Nate Ament played just 18 minutes and did not score. With that in mind, Tennessee badly needed Gillespie to produce. That’s what he did.
“He was play making, getting to the rim, shooting a ton of threes, making them,” Estrella said. “He was phenomenal tonight.”
