MONTVILLE, Connecticut — The Vols bounced back from Saturday's 18-point loss to Villanova with a 89-72 victory over North Carolina on Sunday in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament third place game. The win lifts UT's record to 3-1.
Forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield gave Tennessee the lead with 11:22 to play in the first half. The Vols held the lead for the rest of the game.
Four Vols scored in double figures. Guard Zakai Zeigler led Tennessee with 18 points—an early career high. Guards Santiago Vescovi and Kennedy Chandler scored 17 and 14 points, respectively. John Fulkerson finished with 13 points.
"Got to give these guys a lot of credit because most of these guys have never known what it is like on a one-day turnaround. Walkthrough, scouting report. You could tell when they went in, they were locked in," said head coach Rick Barnes.
Sunday's win was only the second all-time against North Carolina—the first since 1949. As a head coach, Barnes is now 7-12 against the Tar Heels.
The Vols return home to host Tennessee Tech on Nov. 26.
