University of Tennessee Athletics
Hubbs' Best Night Pushes Vols To Victory
January 13, 2015 | Men's Basketball
By Brian Rice
UTSports.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- It has been a trying season at times for Robert Hubbs III. But on a night when Tennessee needed him most, the sophomore delivered in a big way.
Making his third start of the season, but first since November, Hubbs delivered a career-high 16 points in the Volunteers' 74-69 victory over No. 19 Arkansas at Thompson-Boling Arena Tuesday night.
"I had to go out there and be relentless," Hubbs said. "I couldn't settle for anything, I had to be aggressive and take the ball to the rack every time."
"He played fantastic," head coach Donnie Tyndall said. "I don't think he settled one time. He drove the ball got to the rim. He went to the glass a few times, and he didn't get it, but he kept the ball alive for a teammate to get it. I am proud of his progress. He is a very coachable young guy and has a lot of room to grow and improve. He is receptive to that, and that is why he continues to get better."
And he has continued to show that improvement. Over his last six games, Hubbs has averaged 9.5 points per game, including an 11-point performance against Tennessee State on Dec. 27.
"I think you saw tonight, Robert got to the rim more than he has in any game all season," Tyndall said. "He didn't settle for floaters, he didn't settle for jump shots, although he made a couple of big threes, but he drove the ball and got to the rim and finished a bunch of plays. That was huge for us."
As he typically does, senior Josh Richardson led the Volunteers in scoring with 20, but the need for a consistent second scorer may have found a new answer in Hubbs. He started the game 5 of 5 from the field and finished 6 of 7, including a clutch 3-pointer from the corner that ended a 7-0 Arkansas run that had cut the UT lead to nine with just over 6:00 to go.
The quick pace that Arkansas tried to dictate played right into the hands of the aggressive mentality that Hubbs brought to the game.
"I love it, that's how you get easy baskets and get this crowd into the game," Hubbs said.
Hubbs' final two points of the game may have been his most important, if not for the cushion they provided, then for the tone they set. He went to the free throw line with 1:08 left and Tennessee sitting at 3 of 12 from the line for the game. Hubbs nailed both, starting an 11 of 14 run from the stripe to help seal the victory.
"Robert is a great player," Richardson said. "I've seen a lot of flashes, and I think he's putting it together. I'm not surprised."
The performance and the win were just what the Volunteers needed after struggling to score in a loss to Alabama on Saturday.
"We had to stay focused," Hubbs said. "We had three really good days of practice where everyone focused on just getting better. We were all talking about we needed this win. Armani (Moore) gave us a great pregame speech and after that, we were ready to go."
