KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — New season, new faces, but the expectations on Rocky Top haven't changed one bit.
The Tennessee Volunteers opened their 2026-27 basketball season with a convincing 90-59 victory over the Wofford Terriers inside Food City Center.
Now, I know what some people are going to say. It's Wofford, it's only the first game, and there's a long season ahead. All of those things are true, but I also believe you have to give credit where credit is due.
Tennessee came out, took care of business, and gave Vol Nation plenty to be excited about.
Was it perfect? Absolutely not. But for the first game of the season, I think there was a lot more to like than dislike.
DeWayne Brown II Was an Absolute Monster
I don't think there's any other place to start than DeWayne Brown II.
Brown finished the night with 17 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks while shooting 7-of-11 from the field.
Let me say that again. SEVENTEEN rebounds.
That's an incredible performance, especially to open the season.
What impressed me wasn't just the scoring. It was how much of an impact Brown had on the game without needing the ball in his hands every possession.
He was active on the glass, efficient around the basket, and made his presence felt defensively.
Tennessee finished with 41 rebounds as a team, meaning Brown accounted for nearly half of them himself.
Obviously, I'm not going to sit here and declare him an All-American after one game, but if this is the type of production we're going to see from him consistently, Tennessee has something special developing in its frontcourt.
Terrence Hill Jr. Shows What He Can Bring
Another player who caught my attention was Terrence Hill Jr.
Hill finished with 17 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals in just 21 minutes of action.
Now, his shooting numbers weren't perfect. He went 0-of-6 from three-point range, and that's something that will need to improve.
However, I actually found his performance encouraging because he still managed to score 17 points despite struggling from beyond the arc.
He attacked offensively, got to the free-throw line, and converted all five of his attempts.
That's something I like seeing.
Not every night is going to be a great shooting night, and good basketball players have to find other ways to contribute when their shots aren't falling.
Hill did exactly that.
The Supporting Cast Deserves Some Love Too
While Brown and Hill led Tennessee with 17 points apiece, they certainly weren't the only players who contributed.
Tyler Lundblade finished with 12 points, knocking down four three-pointers.
Troy Henderson added 10 points in just 12 minutes, shooting 3-of-5 from the field.
Miles Rubin had a solid all-around performance with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block.
Juke Harris contributed 7 points and 4 rebounds, while Jalen Haralson added 6 points and 6 rebounds.
Dai Dai Ames also finished with 6 points.
One thing I've always believed about successful basketball teams is that you can't rely on one or two guys to carry you every single night.
There are going to be games where your leading scorer struggles, someone gets into foul trouble, or the shots simply aren't falling.
That's when you need other players to step up.
Tennessee had four players reach double figures, and I thought that was one of the more encouraging things about this performance.
Tennessee Absolutely Dominated the Paint
If you want to understand how Tennessee won this game by 31 points, look no further than what happened inside.
The Volunteers outscored Wofford 50-24 in the paint.
That's a 26-point difference.
Tennessee also outrebounded the Terriers 41-29 and shot 52.3% from the field.
Meanwhile, Wofford managed to shoot just 30.6% overall.
I don't care who you're playing. When you're winning the rebounding battle, controlling the paint, and shooting over 50% from the field, you're putting yourself in a pretty good position to win basketball games.
Tennessee's largest lead reached 32 points, and the Vols never allowed Wofford to turn the game into a serious threat once they established control.
This is the type of physical basketball we've grown accustomed to seeing on Rocky Top.
And personally, I hope that never changes.
There's Still Work to Be Done
Now, before anybody starts making Final Four reservations, there are a few things I want to see Tennessee improve.
The biggest one is three-point shooting.
The Vols finished just 7-of-23 from beyond the arc, which comes out to 30.4%.
Tyler Lundblade made four of those seven three-pointers.
That means the rest of the team combined to shoot 3-of-14.
That's not going to get it done consistently against some of the better teams Tennessee will face later this season.
I'm not overly concerned about it right now because it's the first game, but it's definitely something worth keeping an eye on.
On the positive side, Tennessee was outstanding at the free-throw line, going 15-of-16 for 93.8%.
The Vols also finished with 17 assists and just 10 turnovers.
Those are numbers I can get behind.
There's always room for improvement, and I'd honestly be more concerned if this team looked like it had absolutely nothing to work on after its first game.
My Thoughts: Don't Overreact, but Don't Undervalue It Either
Here's where I stand after Tennessee's season opener.
I'm not going to tell you this team is winning the national championship because it beat Wofford by 31 points.
But I'm also not going to downplay a convincing victory just because of the opponent.
You can only play the team that's in front of you, and Tennessee did exactly what it was supposed to do.
The Vols dominated the glass, controlled the paint, got contributions from multiple players, and gave their fans a pretty entertaining start to the season.
For me, DeWayne Brown II was the biggest takeaway.
A 17-point, 17-rebound double-double is no joke, and I'm excited to see how he develops throughout the year.
I also want to see what Terrence Hill Jr. can become once his outside shot starts falling more consistently.
There are questions that still need answers, and we're going to learn a whole lot more about this team when the competition gets tougher.
But here's something I think fans sometimes forget.
You don't have to figure everything out in November.
You need to build chemistry, establish an identity, develop your younger players, and continue improving as the season goes along.
Because at the end of the day, nobody is going to remember how pretty your first win looked if you aren't playing your best basketball when March rolls around.
For now, Tennessee is 1-0.
And after watching the Vols put up 90 points, dominate the boards, and win by 31, I think it's fair to say the season is off to a pretty good start.
There's a long road ahead, and I'm sure there will be plenty of ups, downs, frustrations, and celebrations along the way.
But that's part of what makes college basketball so special.
One game down, and a whole season of Tennessee basketball still ahead of us.
