Lady Luck turns back on disheartened Vols

UT basketball players retreated to their dorm rooms, watched the NBA All-Star game, and pondered a month of frustration.

"We were just hanging out in our rooms, watching TV and communicating with each other on what's bothering us and why we aren't winning," sophomore Major Wingate said.

Luck, almost all bad, was one of the primary topics.

"The ball doesn't ever bounce our way," Wingate said. "We're going to be the underdog every game because we have to be the unluckiest team in the Southeast."

The Vols (11-14, 4-8 SEC) spent the past month dealing with injuries, shuffling lineups and a streak of seven losses in the past eight games.

"The toughest thing is how we're letting games slip away," Wingate said. "We're just having stupid mental lapses that we go over in practice every day.

"That's the most painful thing. Watching us do stupid stuff that we regularly don't do."

Team chemistry is another concern.

Two of the Vols' senior leaders have been hit with injuries at the worst possible time in the SEC schedule.

Brandon Crump missed four games with an ankle injury and still isn't 100 percent after spraining the other ankle against Mississippi.

Scooter McFadgon didn't make the trip to Ole Miss with a nagging knee injury suffered in the Florida game.

McFadgon missed practice again on Monday and is listed as day-to-day going into Wednesday's 7:30 p.m. game at home against South Carolina.

"We had the chemistry early," Crump said. "By the time SEC rolled around, everybody was focused.

"Injuries have just been tough for us."

Crump was limping noticeably in practice, trying to deal with two sprained ankles.

"The right one hurts more than the one I hurt in Louisville now," Crump said. "The left ankle, we're just trying to get stronger. The right ankle we're trying to get the pain to stop.

"It's frustrating because you're about to get your confidence back, and then you hurt your other ankle and you're more limited than you were before."

So, with four regular-season games left, the search for team cohesiveness and a few four-leaf clovers continues.

"We've just got to hold onto things and keep the adrenaline going," Wingate said. "It's simple things, like showing pride and heart."