NASHVILLE, Tenn. – National Player of the Year candidate Grant Williams posted one of the most dominant performances in program history to lift No. 1 Tennessee to an 88-83 victory in overtime against Vanderbilt in Memorial Gym Wednesday night.

Williams finished with a career-high 43 points and also tallied eight rebounds, four blocks, two assists and a key steal to carry the Vols (17-1, 6-0 SEC) to their 13th-consecutive win. It was the most points scored in a game by a Vol since all-time leading scorer Allan Houston also dropped 43 against LSU on Feb. 10, 1990. Williams’ effort also tied for the fifth-most points in a single game in school history.

The junior forward was 10-of-15 from the field and a program-record 23-of-23 from the free-throw line. That mark broke the Tennessee records for most free throws in a game and consecutive free throws in a single game, surpassing Bill Justus’ 22 total makes and 18 consecutive free throw makes vs. Ohio on March 17, 1969.

Tennessee rallied late in the second half, going on a 6-0 run during the final 1:22 of play. A jumper in the lane by Admiral Schofield with 38 seconds left tied things up at 76-76. UT got the final shot off with just under 3.3 seconds left in regulation, but it was blocked to send the game to overtime.

Williams was 8-of-10 from the field and 19-of-19 from the free-throw line for 38 points in the second half and overtime. He had 10 of UT’s 12 points in overtime to outscore the Commodores (9-9, 0-6 SEC).

The other two overtime points came from a pair of free throws by Jordan Bone with five seconds remaining to put the game away. The Nashville native finished with 14 points and seven assists in the victory.

Vanderbilt had the hot hand in the second half, shooting 51 percent from the floor and 67 percent from beyond the arc. On several occasions, Tennessee forced the Commodores to a throw up a shot with less than five seconds on the shot clock, but VU was able to convert time and time again.

In overtime, Tennessee’s defense locked down the Dores, holding Vanderbilt to 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 from 3-point range. A pair of 20-point performers in Aaron Nesmith (24) and Saben Lee (21) led Vanderbilt offensively.

The Vols opened the game on a 15-2 run during the first five minutes, forcing the Commodores to call a timeout. Bone knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, while Williams added six points during the opening flurry.

Vanderbilt wasn’t phased by the early deficit, fighting back to make it a three-point game at the 10:29 mark. A 9-0 run in the final minutes of the half capped off the Commodores’ comeback, giving them their first lead of the game. UT quickly responded with a step-back 3-pointer by Jordan Bowden to quiet the crowd and give the Vols a 38-37 lead going into halftime.

Both teams shot 50 percent or better from the field, with VU holding a 22-14 advantage in the paint to erase the early 13-point deficit. Tennessee’s offense was sparked by five threes in the frame.

-UT Athletics

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Tipoff Club named Tennessee junior Grant Williams to its midseason watch list for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award.

“Defense makes up a huge part of every win in college basketball, and we’re excited to recognize those who defend the hardwood,” Atlanta Tipoff Club Executive Director Eric Oberman said. “These players represent on-court toughness and a defensive tenacity that make them worthy of consideration for this award.”

The reigning SEC Player of the Year, Williams leads the top-ranked Volunteers in steals (18) and charges drawn (6) while ranking second in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and blocks (26). He is one of only two players on the team who has both double-digit blocks and steals this season.

Tennessee (16-1, 5-0 SEC) is ranked seventh in the country and tops the SEC in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just 38-percent shooting from the floor. The Vols also lead the league in 3-point field-goal percentage defense at 31 percent.

Williams’ 131 career blocks ties him for eighth most in program history. The junior forward only needs 22 more blocks to rank among the program’s all-time top three. Teammate Kyle Alexander just moved into sole possession of second place (152 blocks) on the list. The rim-protecting duo is a big reason the Volunteers rank sixth in the country in blocks per game (5.9 bpg).

This season, Williams has logged multiple blocks in nine games and multiple steals in seven. He has recorded four performances with multiple blocks and steals in the game, including three blocks and two steals to go along with 22 points and 10 rebounds against Wake Forest.

Williams has received other recent accolades, garnering Midseason All-American recognition from Sporting News and Sports Illustrated. He was also tabbed to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List (along with teammate Admiral Schofield) and the Lute Olson Award Watch Midseason Watch List.

For the season, Williams is averaging an SEC-best 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 56 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free-throw line.

-UT Athletics

Rick Barnes Transcript

On if he addressed the team after the No. 1 ranking was announced:
“We are always talking about where we are. We were in practice when the rankings came out. We haven’t talked about it. But, I think the key is that we know what our foundation is, and we have to continue to build that. We have a pretty simple goal. We want to be the best basketball team that we can be. We know that we’ve got room for improvement. We know we have to improve. There’s no doubt that I’m proud of these guys, because they have built this. It had nothing to do with the rankings. It had to do with how we are playing and how we are playing right now.

“You go back two years ago with Kyle Alexander, Lamonte Turner, Admiral Schofield, Brad Woodson and Lucas Campbell. They’ve been here. They know what it’s like to lose 16, 17 or 18 games. When you see this team four years later, we remember those things. It’s the fact that when you think about where we are right now, it’s something that they should be proud of. They also know we’re in the middle of basketball season, and it doesn’t get you anything better other than the attention and notoriety it brings. But, they have dealt with some attention and notoriety that people probably didn’t think they would have a year ago. It still goes back to where you have to stay grounded in terms of your everyday work ethic and your everyday mindset to know that we’re trying to build something that is sustainable. To do that, it’s just a daily commitment. You have to know what your foundation is and try to make it as strong as you can make it.”

On he found out the team was ranked No. 1 and how the team will handle it:
“When we got finished with practice. Obviously, before it ever happened, you knew there could be a possibility of that. The fact that we are is a compliment to our players. I don’t think there’s any question that they’re the ones that have put the hard work into it. It’s a compliment to our coaching staff and to our university for their commitment. I think it’s a great compliment to our fan base. I think it says a lot about Tennessee basketball because we have a history here. It goes back to this university being ranked No. 1 before. You go as far back as you want to, to the Ernie and Bernie days.

“I think it’s a compliment that these guys have continued to try to build this program to the level that we’d all like to see it. We haven’t made a big deal about it, and we won’t make a big deal about it. The big things we’ve tried to teach these guys is that people are excited, and we’re glad they are excited. I’m glad these guys are excited, but I’ll still go back to my first year here when we were struggling just to try and stay competitive. Our fan base was tremendous. That’s what I remember as much as anything. Right now, it’s as simple as, ‘Can we continue to be the best this team wants to be?’ We have to keep our focus.”

On what it says about the coaching staff being able to ascend to the No. 1 ranking with the players on the current roster:
“It says a lot about our staff. Rob Lanier, Mike Schwartz and Desmond Oliver. Our support staff. Everyone here. It says a lot about our players that they were willing to come in and buy in to a system and a culture. I go back to those five guys. They built this culture. We have terrific coaches here, and we’ve all had different cultures. When I came in, you guys know better than me, I was the third coach here in four or five years. So you think about that group of guys that we inherited. They probably didn’t know if we were going or coming at the time. When we came in, Admiral was here but hadn’t been exposed to really anything but the recruiting process. One guy that I’ll always be thankful for and blessed to have coached is Kevin Punter. He did buy in. He was the very first one to buy in. We know how that went with him.

“I go back to the facilities that we have been able to create. One of the first things we wanted to really do was have a great weight room, because of our weight program and conditioning program is really important to our player development. We had a small one, and Dave Hart made that change. He was willing to give us more space so we could have a really great facility that way. We weren’t in a locker room really there for three years. There’s a lot of people that have made this where we are right now. But, we all know we can get better. We have to continue to improve. For the players, it’s not easy to walk in a locker room and hear noise from guys that have had to deal with three head coaches and not know whether you are going or coming. We actually talked about that yesterday. We know where we are now, but we’re not where we want to be. That’s why you have great respect for those programs that sustain it every single year. It’s a combination of a lot of people coming together and being blessed that they see some things together. Again, we still have work to do.”

On the difference in the team’s defense this year opposed to last year despite the numbers being virtually the same:
“The sense of urgency with the fix-it plays. You are going to get beat as much as you try not to. Somebody there to make the next play for you, and there’s someone there to help him. As much as basketball terms ‘help the helper,’ doing your work early away from the ball. Rebounding. There’s no doubt that has been our foundation. I think our guys would tell you in all honesty that they know we’ve improved offensively. I think, when you have that mindset that you can go out and outscore people, there’s a tendency to let down in certain areas that you know you shouldn’t. I think that’s what we have been trying to get across the last couple weeks. I do think we’ve improved offensively. But, I want us to have that mindset defensively. That not only can we be where we were a year ago, but we can be better. We have to get better there. It’s plain and simple. We have to continue to get better defensively. When you go back to where we were two years ago and where we were last year, the biggest change in our program was when we got to where we could defend people. For two years, we couldn’t. We were a half-court team trying to protect the basket as much as we could. Last year, we had great guard play in the backcourt. We haven’t consistently done that. Some of it has to do with the fact that we’re down, but now, we’re getting back to full strength. We have to get back to that.”

On the differences between this team and his No. 1 ranked Texas team in 2010 that fell apart down the stretch:
“You can’t compare these two teams. You really can’t. I’d have to go back to what Rob said about these group of guys that I recruited. There was a lot of guys on that team that were very highly-recruited. There was a whole different mindset and a different makeup. I think the biggest thing that you take from it is that this group of guys understands that they really need each other. I’d have to really think long and hard about that group. But with this group right now, I trust that they want to get better, and that’s what I really believe. The one thing you have to talk about is the outside noise that you hear and all of this. They’ve dealt with some of that already since a year ago. Certainly, it’s us standing as a team, trusting each other. I think these guys will.”

On Vanderbilt and how Coach Drew has adjusted as the year has progressed:
“I have a lot of respect for Vanderbilt and Coach Drew. They’ve had to go through some tough situations. They had a terrific recruiting year, and one of the main guys and somebody you can build a team around got hurt early. Then for him to have to change directions and go back and start to put different guys in. You admire coaches that have to go through that. If you’ve been in it long enough, we all have to go through it and probably have gone through it. At the same time, I think this team is going to play hard and they’re going to fight. They’re going to work hard at executing what he wants done. I said he’s got really good offensive schemes where they can spread you out. They shoot the three. We know on any given night, and we witnessed this, some guys can get going and they are hard to deal with. I think, with this program, he’s getting his foundation and his culture in place. I know personally that takes some time to do. He’s had some setbacks with some injuries, and it’s tough when it happens. He’s going to do a great job, and he has. He’s going to continue to do that.”

On having a veteran team and if it makes it easier taking on lesser opponents:
“Again, I don’t know. I think when you go play basketball you will play. I think when they’re playing and the ball is up in the air, I think they’re locked in. I don’t know how to answer that.”

On how long it took Kevin Punter to buy in and how long it took for that to trickle down to other players on the basketball team:
“He was here, and the other guys I mentioned, they weren’t here yet. That spring, when we were instilling our program and getting guys to come in, he was a guy that was over the top with it. I told him about his shot. I said, ‘Your shot is never going to pass the eye-candy test.’ I said, ‘You need to get it right.’ And he said to me, ‘I’ll do whatever I need to do.’ He would literally go 2,000 shots a day. He would start from ground zero. He got frustrated at times, but I said, ‘I told you it wasn’t going to be easy. It can’t happen unless you make it happen.’ And he did it. So when those other guys got here in the summer, he was the one guy they had their eye on. They watched how much time he put in the gym. I actually asked Kyle Alexander the other day, and we know where he started and we know how much work he put in, ‘Has anybody in the program put more time in than you?’ And he said, ‘Well yeah, I think AD has. I think that.’ But, I think that if you asked Admiral that, I think he came out of a situation where he understood he had to put time in and work at it. I do think it helped him too, having one guy, in Kevin Punter, where he said ‘Hey, that guy is in the gym, I want to be there too.’ And Kevin was in there that one year just as much as any one guy we’ve coached. Once things started clicking for him, and it clicked a couple months earlier than I thought it would, I mean he was always in there. I will never forget. And to give you an idea of the kind of culture that we wanted to build, when he had gotten hurt at the end of the year, he came over to me and he said, ‘Coach, what do you think I need to do?’ And I said, ‘I think you need to shut it down. I don’t think you can be effective.’ He walked out of the gym and said, ‘I feel better. I feel that way too.’ And I will never forget this. The next morning I walked into Pratt Pavilion at 8 A.M., and I heard the ball bouncing, and it’s Kevin Punter. I said, ‘What are you doing?’ And he said, ‘Coach, I slept on it last night, and I have to give it one more chance.’ He came to practice that day, and at the end of practice, it didn’t take long, he said, ‘I can’t do it.’ But, that is something that you admire. That’s why I can’t talk about our foundation without mentioning him. He was really the lead guy on it.”

On getting the defensive mindset back and if they took a step in the right direction against Alabama:
“I hope so. I think you have to give Alabama a lot of credit. We jumped on them. And it is probably my fault. I had the guys probably too emotional. You’re in this time of year. You have different ways to get guys motivated and you go back a year ago and they hit us hard. We come off a big win at Kentucky and we go down there and they beat us by 28 points. I thought we came out playing really, really hard. If you get overly emotional before a game, and it probably started the night before, that wears you out. That takes the energy from you. It really can. There was a part during the game that I think we were tired. We talked about it yesterday and the players admitted that they were overly anxious and overly emotional. That is my fault because I want to keep them steady and want them to go out. But the fact is, at the end of the game when we had to make some plays, we did. Whether it was Grant Williams’ block or the last play, everybody was locked in. I know Admiral Schofield was on John Petty when he called for traveling. You look at the tape, everybody was locked in, including Alabama. The last play for Grant, I called for a charge and he charged. We needed to get some stops at the end and we were able to do that. I hope that is something we can build on.”

On if he takes satisfaction on being only one of six coaches to take two different teams to a No. 1 ranking:
“I have been blessed. God has blessed me in so many ways. I think about every stop I have made along the way, I have had incredible people. I can go back to George Mason with that situation. But I don’t think in terms of that, to be honest with you. I think anything when it comes to the head coach, it has to go to everybody. We are a family with everything we do. I have said it before, I would not be where I am without them. I have always felt, if I have done one thing right, I have always tried to hire people that I think are better than me and I think I have done that. We have always understood those people and those people have understood that recruiting is a lifeblood of what we do. We create a family atmosphere everywhere we have been and let everybody know that they are important. I hope we have done that and that we have taught these guys to be good Christian guys and men. I keep wanting them to understand that this time is fleeting, so we just have to take advantage of it while it’s here.”

On if it is easier to coach a three star player that is under recruited compared to a five star:
“I have been fortunate to coach one guy that is going to be one of the greatest players ever, who is Kevin Durant. It was really easy to coach him because he had passion. I could name a lot of three or four star guys, but Admiral Schofield, Kyle Alexander, Grant Williams, Lamonte Turner, Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden, those guys have passion the same way. So I think it is an individual thing. I think we coach five star guys that thought we had magic dust that we were going to sprinkle on them and that it would work. It never works. There is no secret to this. I think of one word that separates it all is passion. I think almost everyone we recruit, we feel have physical ability and we hope that they understand it, but it gets down to commitment and their willingness to be part of a program, be a great teammate and work as hard as you can to separate themselves, so that one day they have a dream of playing at the highest level, they can get there. I think it is all individual. That is where I go back to our coaches. I think they understand how we want to do it and when they go out recruiting, their evaluations are so important. We believe in once they get here if they are willing to buy into it, we can make it work for everyone.”

On if the strength and conditioning here is a shock to new players:
“I do think it is. You go in and start recruiting and talk about your program. You’re going to be as transparent as you can be with everyone. I think most people think that they work, but they don’t really truly understand how hard and how they can figure out. So when they come in, the way the rules have always been set up through the years, the strength and conditioning program is who is with the players the most. I have said it before strength and conditioning coach is arguably as hard as a position as any position on our staff because he has the time with them. But Garrett Medenwald is not just a strength and conditioning coach. He is obsessed with their bodies and minds being right. He will stay and work. It is really, really important. I think it is really difficult for programs that don’t have guys like him. He was really with me since day one. Once we got him going and knew we could get him in place, he immediately made an impact. He showed Kevin Punter and the guys how serious he was about his job showed them they had somebody looking out for them in his best interest, physically. You can’t really talk about Garrett without mentioning Chad Newman and what he does. Those two guys work together. They have one thing in mind and that is to keep our guys healthy and keep them on the court. I will tell you, good trainers are hard to come by too. We are blessed here. We have two of the very best and I think they are better than anybody else in the country.”

On how much being No. 1 changes things and how he gets the team prepared:
“It is there. What we do is we aren’t going to change. We are going to practice. I have heard coach Rob Lanier tell our players a number of times that I am going to be the same way, whether we win or lose. We are going to go look at the film and try to fix whatever problems we have. The key is if they find the problems and they are willing to fix it. Everybody is building resumes this time of year. They all know that too. But I like to think that we are a going to keep our mind on the main thing, which is can we work at still being the best team we can be. You do your preparation like today’s an important day for us and we get there tomorrow and get ready to play. We go out and understand this is one of 30 something opportunities that we have.”

On if the game against Alabama made the team realize they won’t win every game by a lot of points and if it was a reality check: 
“When you go on the road, you expect it. But what we hadn’t had in maybe this year was that home pressure. And the fact that we got a taste of it, you’d like to think that it will help us going down the road. It reminded me of our game against Georgia last year. It was an intense game. You could tell they were playing with a lot of confidence and we missed some shots and it started affecting us. Admiral has a tendency some times to get overly emotional when shots aren’t going in. It affected the game, but he had 11 rebounds and in the end he made two big baskets. I think some players get lost in the game and it is natural when things aren’t going well offensively. I think his maturity showed up. I do think that home pressure, being on your home court with another team playing really well, doing good things as Alabama was doing, was something you have to deal with too. It has been awhile since we have had that. Hopefully it is something that serves us well. We are going to have it. With the teams coming here, they are going to come in here and expect to come into a great crowd that we have here, just like we expect tomorrow night. We will expect it everywhere we go. As the season goes on, I think players adjust to that and settle in and then it comes down to your execution.”

On what it is about this team that people aren’t talking about:
“I would talk about our players that I have mentioned that started for us. You have to talk about Grant Williams coming in and guys that have come in behind him and guys out in front of him that help start it. We are all proud of these guys. The fact that we are proud of is the No. 1 ranking is a byproduct of what they put into it. It is not just during the season. It is year-round. In about 60 or 70 days, we are going to be working on next year. We will be rebuild again with another team. It is all fleeting. You have to grasp it and hold onto it and make the most of every day. Not have any regrets when it is all said and done. It’s not just what you do physically, it is what you do mentally and how you’re able to block out all the things that can keep your team to be the best you can be. When you look at it, what they have done to this point, I think they would say it’s nice, but it is not the final product. There are a lot of winners and a lot of things, but there is only one winner at the end. I would be lying to you if I didn’t think these guys wanted me to say we want to be the winner, but we still got work to do that.”

-UT Athletics