Why Bishop Boswell might have 'most important role' for Tennessee

LAS VEGAS – Bishop Boswell grabbed a long rebound off a missed 3-pointer, and he made the simple play, which turned out to be a winning play for Tennessee basketball.

Houston scrambled out of the paint to get set in its defense again, but it never got the chance. The ball was only in Boswell's hands a moment before he hurled it to a wide open J.P. Estrella under the basket for an easy layup. The play gave the No. 16 Vols (7-0) their first lead since five minutes into the Elite Eight rematch with the No. 2 Cougars (6-1).

It was a lead Tennessee never relinquished. Boswell made sure of it.

Boswell was everything, everywhere, all at once for the Vols in the second day of the Players Era Festival at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Nov. 25.

"That kid is a winner. He was the toughest guy on the floor tonight," Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. "Every coach in America would love to have Boswell."

Boswell was the difference in the 76-73 upset in every way conceivable, scoring a career-high 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting while playing a pivotal role in all Tennessee did. Whenever the Vols needed a big play, the sophomore guard made something happen to derail the Cougars.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said leading up to the tournament that the two guard position would be decided by the best defensive performances. Barnes believes Boswell is becoming one of the best defensive guards in the country − and he backed it up against Houston.

He played a critical role in holding Houston guard Kingston Flemings, who ended the game with 25 points, scoreless for 13 minutes in the second half as Tennessee mounted a comeback. The Cougars didn't make a field goal for 8:04, and they were scoreless for more than seven minutes while UT took a 53-48 lead with eight minutes left.

"There's no doubt that it's a hard role for a player to want to buy into, to want to do it, but he's all about team. He wants to win more than anything else," Barnes said. "We're asking him to fill a major role and he's embraced it."

Boswell's defense was never in question after learning under former Tennessee guards Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler last season. It was a matter of how, and if, he could impact the rest of the game.

Boswell silenced those doubts in dominant fashion against one of the best teams in the nation.

He embraced his defensive role, but he became a connector for the Vols as a do-it-all weapon. He's willing to sacrifice things offensively with the talented scorers around him, but he proved he can maximize his offensive opportunities without forcing anything.

"You have to have a guy that plays that role. In some ways it might be the most important role on the team," Barnes said. "I know one thing, it's definitely the hardest in terms of just having to go out and grind it out. And not only is he doing that, he's trying to get down the court, doing what he needs to do offensively."

Near the beginning of Houston's seven-minute scoring drought, Boswell grabbed offensive rebounds on two straight possessions that resulted in his tip-in and assist to Estrella. He ensured the Vols were scoring as they suffocated Houston's offense.

Boswell ended the night with four rebounds, three assists, three steals, a block and a team-high plus-minus of +12 in 32 minutes. Only point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie played more minutes.

Boswell didn’t miss a single shot, and he made incredible finishes at the rim in transition to capitalize on Tennessee’s steals. Every layup felt like it swung the momentum back to the Vols as they fought to come back for nearly 23 straight minutes.

His final two points of the night came from two free throws with 25 seconds left in the game to give the Vols a 72-68 lead.

"Those free throws were huge," Barnes said. "While he was shooting them, I said, if anybody deserves to make these, it's him because of how hard he's worked even through his rehab."

Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social‬. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Bishop Boswell is critical to Tennessee basketball's success